Business Management

Complete Ethics Case 2.6 (End of Chapter 2)

2.6 Ethics Case State departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) register automobiles and issue driver’s licenses. State DMVs require automobile owners and drivers to provide personal information—including a person’s name, address, telephone number, vehicle description, Social Security number, medical information, and a photograph—as a condition for registering an automobile or obtaining a driver’s license. Many states’ DMVs sold this personal information to individuals, advertisers, and businesses. These sales generated significant revenues for the states.

After receiving thousands of complaints from individuals whose personal information had been sold, the U.S. Congress enacted the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994 (DPPA). This federal statute prohibits a state from selling the personal information of a person unless the state obtains that person’s affirmative consent to do so. South Carolina sued the United States, alleging that the federal government violated the Commerce Clause by adopting the DPPA.

Was it ethical for the states to sell the personal information of automobile owners and drivers?

Answer: No, It was totally unethical because it should have been a choice of the individual. A company should never give out a individual personal information without proper consent. For example, If a doctor gave out a patient's personal medical records they could be sued because that's violating an individual's privacy. I would have to totally have to say that this is definitely unethical for any business to treat a customer in such a fashion.

Was the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act properly enacted by the federal government pursuant to its Commerce Clause power?

Answer: Yes, I believe it was enforced correctly because that's the whole point of the act is to assure a driver's privacy. In I would enforce that act for any drivers who have ever been in the situation where their information was given out...