California’s Plan to Share Driver’s License Data with Third Parties Raises Privacy Concerns

California will begin sharing detailed information about more than 1 million undocumented immigrant driver’s license holders with a national database, breaking a decade-long promise to keep the data confidential, state officials confirmed this week. The decision, driven by federal Real ID Act requirements, has drawn sharp criticism from immigrant advocacy groups, who warn the move could increase deportation risks for those affected.

State Reverses Confidentiality Pledge

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) plans to provide the data to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), a nonprofit organization governed by DMV officials from across the U.S. The shared information will include whether a license holder has a Social Security number—a detail that could be used to identify undocumented immigrants, according to representatives from four advocacy groups who attended a recent briefing with the DMV and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

“This breaks a promise the state made a decade ago when it began issuing licenses to unauthorized immigrants,” said one advocate, who spoke to CalMatters on condition of anonymity. The 2013 law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses included explicit protections to prevent the data from being used for immigration enforcement. Now, advocates fear federal agencies could request bulk access to the database, using the absence of a Social Security number as a deportation marker.

Federal Compliance vs. Immigrant Protections

State officials framed the decision as a necessary step to comply with the federal Real ID Act of 2005, which sets standards for state-issued identification to be accepted at airports and other federal facilities. If California refuses to share the data, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could reject the state’s driver’s licenses and ID cards for federal purposes, including air travel—a consequence that would affect all California residents, not just undocumented immigrants.

A DMV spokesperson confirmed the agency’s intent to share the data but declined to specify what exact information would be included or how it would be safeguarded. The AAMVA, which manages the national database, has not responded to requests for comment on how the data will be used or who will have access to it.

Advocates Sound Alarm Over Deportation Risks

Immigrant rights organizations have condemned the move as a “betrayal” of trust. Over 1 million undocumented immigrants in California currently hold driver’s licenses under the state’s AB 60 program, which was designed to improve road safety and reduce unlicensed driving. Advocates argue that the data-sharing plan undermines those goals by creating a new avenue for immigration enforcement.

“This is not just about driver’s licenses—it’s about whether California will stand by its commitment to protect immigrant communities,”

said a representative from one of the advocacy groups present at the briefing.

Legal experts note that while the Real ID Act requires states to verify an applicant’s legal presence in the U.S., it does not explicitly mandate the sharing of data on undocumented immigrants. California’s decision appears to go beyond the federal requirements, raising questions about whether other states with similar programs—such as New York, Illinois, and Washington—could face similar pressure.

What Comes Next

The DMV has not announced a timeline for when the data-sharing will begin, but advocates are already exploring legal challenges. Some lawmakers have called for legislative action to reinforce confidentiality protections, though any such measures would likely face opposition from federal authorities.

For now, the more than 1 million undocumented immigrants who obtained licenses under AB 60 remain in limbo, waiting to see how the state’s reversal will affect their ability to drive—and their safety from deportation.