Peoples Auto Parking Illegally Obtains Driver Data from DMVs to Send Citations in Chicago, Class Action Suit Says

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims Peoples Auto Parking Company has unlawfully obtained and used drivers’ personal information from departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) without authorization or a valid purpose.

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The 11-page privacy suit alleges that the company, which operates self-service parking lots throughout downtown Chicago, has breached the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) by knowingly obtaining consumers’ names and addresses from non-public motor vehicle records without their written consent.

According to the lawsuit against Peoples Auto Parking, automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology captures the license plate number of each driver who enters the parking lot. The case explains the company then uses this data to acquire an alleged violator’s motor vehicle records in order to mail them a parking citation.

“While the use of ALPR, or systems like it, is not inherently in violation of the law, the use of this information to obtain motor vehicle records associated with such license plate numbers is,” the complaint charges.

The filing contends that Peoples Auto Parking has collected consumers’ personal information without express written authorization and with no permissible purpose as it’s defined under the DPPA.

The plaintiff, a Chicago resident, says he parked in one of the company’s lots in October of last year. Per the class action suit, the man later received a parking citation from the defendant that included his name, address, license plate number, the make of his car and a photo of his rear license plate taken at the entrance of the parking lot.

The plaintiff never supplied Peoples Auto Parking with the personal data needed to identify him by name and address, the case claims, arguing that the company was able to contact the man only by illegally acquiring his information from the DMV.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States whose personal motor vehicle records were obtained, disclosed, used, redisclosed or resold by the company without their express written consent.

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