Will County Gazette

Illinois state Rep. Margo McDermed (R-Mokena) has filed a bill that would ensure more individual privacy by enacting greater safeguards on the way personal information is handled by government-run agencies such as the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

“We need to figure out a better way for when and how personal information should be turned over,” McDermed told the Will County Gazette. “Right now, the way the statute reads, the Illinois Tollway must turn over all information in response to a subpoena, even one in a civil case. Be it the case of a spouse in a divorce case or a child support case, an individual can easily get the information of another person and we need to fix that.”

McDermed’s interest in the issue was at least partly raised by a WBEZ report in which it was detailed how easily civil suit lawyers, divorce attorneys and even stalkers have been able to get the personal information of other individuals from the agency. 

“Instances where Illinois Tollway is responding to a subpoena about movements is one thing, but all this other information is something else altogether,” McDermed said.

 House Bill 4006 would ban the Tollway from releasing any “personally identifiable information” other than to law enforcement representatives armed with a search warrant. Even then, the Tollway would then be required to notify the individual within five days of releasing their information, with the notice including the name of the law enforcement agency that obtained it and a copy of the search warrant.

Thus far, McDermed says her bill has been well-received by colleagues in Springfield and she looks forward to further debate when the legislature reconvenes later this month.

“I don’t think they’re anxious about the thought of stalky exes getting cell phone numbers and other information,” she said. “As for Tollway workers, their job is to collect tolls and that’s what they want to be doing.”