Many auto insurance companies use ChoicePoint to check..

[kentuck]

on past driving records, convictions, tickets, etc. They have access to all the state records of individuals with driving licenses. Their records are the determining factor when your insurance is increased because of a ticket or a DUI a few years ago. They work very closely with several insurance companies.

Of course, ChoicePoint is the same company, HQ'ed in Atlanta ??, that researched for Katherine Harris and the state of Florida, the names of convicted felons and took them off the voting rolls of Florida. Unfortunately, they took some names off that were similar to those of convicted felons and they were not permitted to vote. This is a company that bears watching.

[DBoon]

1. Also in big trouble in Latin America

For harvesting info on their citizens and providing it to the US government:

http://www.americas.org/news/nir/20030907_choicepoint_erases_mexican_data.asp

Quote:

a major scandal erupted in Latin America after Associated Press reported last April that ChoicePoint had collected personal information on citizens of 10 Latin American countries and was selling it to U.S. law enforcement agencies.

[PVnRT]

2. I thought the name of that company

was something like DB Associates or something. Or maybe it was Choicepoint. At any rate, I thought the company that did it had settled the lawsuit over that fiasco by agreeing to turn over their records and basically help out the plaintiffs by finding who got kicked off for whatever reason...

[htuttle]

3. Hmm. I don't think any of that ever happened

As far as I know, the people wrongly excluded from the voter lists in Florida are STILL excluded from voting. I think they have to petition for restoration of their rights on an individual basis -- even though there was NO legal basis for their exclusion in the first place.

Last I'd heard (which was fairly recently), most of them were still excluded.

[denverbill]

4. They've got more than just your driving records.

MVR's, credit report, and claims history are among the things they store for insurers.

[kentuck]

5. Exactly.

Thanks denverbill. People have no idea how far their tentacles reach into their everyday lives...