Trump administration blocked from accessing commercial drivers’ sensitive data

A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from accessing sensitive personal data of more than 17 million commercial drivers. The order also prevents the administration from cutting federal funding to an organisation operating the database.

Washington: A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from obtaining a database containing sensitive personal information on more than 17 million commercial drivers, including their Social Security and driving licence numbers.

The temporary restraining order also prevents the administration from terminating more than $10 million in federal funding to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators if the organisation refuses to surrender the database, according to Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones.

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Jones and a coalition of state attorneys general had challenged demands made by the US Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

The court order temporarily bars the Transportation Department from acquiring the records and effectively pauses a Homeland Security subpoena while the litigation proceeds, the Virginia attorney general’s office said.

“The federal court’s decision to grant a Temporary Restraining Order is an important win for protecting the privacy of millions of commercial drivers,” Jones said.

“By blocking the US Department of Transportation from acquiring more than 17 million sensitive records and effectively pausing the Department of Homeland Security’s subpoena, the ruling ensures Virginians’ data remains secure and under state control while the legal process continues. The judge’s decision reaffirms long-standing privacy and governance protections around state-owned driver information.”

The federal government’s position was not included in the material released by Jones’ office.

The dispute centres on the Commercial Driver’s License Information System, known as CDLIS. Congress established the system in 1986 to allow states to share information about commercial driving licence applicants and determine whether an applicant holds a licence in another state.

Since 1988, the Transportation Department has contracted with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a private non-profit organisation, to operate the system for the states.

Before approving a commercial driving licence application, states verify an applicant’s identity, medical fitness, immigration status and licensing and driving history in other states where the person may have been licensed.

The records maintained in the database include a driver’s name, date of birth, Social Security number, driving licence number and the state that supplied the information.

Jones and the other attorneys general filed two related lawsuits last week. One names the Transportation Department, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the association that operates the database. The other challenges the Homeland Security Department’s efforts to obtain the records.

The lawsuits allege that the federal agencies are violating multiple privacy laws by attempting to establish a separate database using state-owned records obtained from the association.

The coalition claims the proposed database would lack safeguards governing the use or sharing of Social Security numbers and other personal information. It also contends that the effort was undertaken without public notice.

Jones and the coalition said they would now seek a preliminary injunction preventing the information from being transferred for the duration of the litigation.

Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin joined the legal action, along with the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania. Minnesota’s attorney general joined the case involving Homeland Security.

Commercial driving licence records are primarily created and maintained by individual states, although federal rules establish nationwide standards for licensing drivers who operate trucks, buses and other large commercial vehicles.