TrustVoting Atlas

Sec. 8.
    (1) Except as provided in this section and in section 10, personal information in a record
 maintained under this act shall not be disclosed, unless the person requesting the information
 furnishes proof of identity satisfactory to the secretary of state and certifies that the personal
 information requested will be used for a permissible purpose identified in this section or in
 section 10. Highly restricted personal information shall be used and disclosed only as
 expressly permitted in section 2 or in another applicable provision of law.
    (2) Personal information in a record maintained under this act shall be disclosed by the
 secretary of state if required to carry out the purposes of a specified federal law. As used in
 this section, "specified federal law" means the automobile information disclosure act, 15 USC
 1231 to 1233, the former motor vehicle information and cost savings act, Public Law 92-513,
 the former national traffic and motor vehicle safety act of 1966, Public Law 89-563, the anti-
 car theft act of 1992, Public Law 102-519, the clean air act, chapter 360, 69 Stat. 322, and all
 federal regulations promulgated to implement these federal laws.
    (3) Personal information in a record maintained under this act may be disclosed by the
 secretary of state as follows:
    (a) For use by a federal, state, or local governmental agency, including a court or law
 enforcement agency, in carrying out the agency's functions, or by a private person or entity
 acting on behalf of a governmental agency in carrying out the agency's functions.
    (b) For use in connection with matters of motor vehicle and driver safety or auto theft;
 motor vehicle emissions; motor vehicle product alterations, recalls, or advisories; performance
 monitoring of motor vehicles; motor vehicle market research activities, including survey
 research; and the removal of nonowner records from the original records of motor vehicle
 manufacturers.
    (c) For use in the normal course of business by a legitimate business, including the agents,
 employees, and contractors of the business, but only to verify the accuracy of personal
 information submitted by an individual to the business or its agents, employees, or contractors,
 and if the information as so submitted is no longer correct, to obtain the correct information,
 for the sole purpose of preventing fraud by pursuing legal remedies against, or recovering on a
 debt against, the individual.
    (d) For use in connection with a civil, criminal, administrative, or arbitral proceeding in a
 federal, state, or local court or governmental agency or before a self-regulatory body,
 including use for service of process, investigation in anticipation of litigation, and the
 execution or enforcement of judgments and orders, or pursuant to an order of a federal, state,
 or local court, an administrative agency, or a self-regulatory body.
    (e) For use in legitimate research activities and in preparing statistical reports for
 commercial, scholarly, or academic purposes by a bona fide research organization, if the
 personal information is not published, redisclosed, or used to contact individuals.
    (f) For use by an insurer or insurance support organization, or by a self-insured entity, or its
 agents, employees, or contractors, in connection with claims investigating activity, antifraud
 activity, rating, or underwriting.
    (g) For use in providing notice to the owner of an abandoned, towed, or impounded vehicle.
    (h) For use either by a private detective or private investigator licensed under the private
 detective license act, 1965 PA 285, MCL 338.821 to 338.851, or by a private security guard
 agency or alarm system contractor licensed under the private security business and security




                                                               Michigan Compiled Laws Complete Through PA 91 of 2026
Rendered Wednesday, September 2, 2026        Page 15 of 18                              Courtesy of legislature.mi.gov

 alarm act, 1968 PA 330, MCL 338.1051 to 338.1083, only for a purpose permitted under this
 section.
    (i) For use by an employer, or the employer's agent or insurer, to obtain or verify
 information relating either to the holder of a commercial driver license that is required under
 the commercial motor vehicle safety act of 1986, Public Law 99-570, or to the holder of a
 chauffeur's license that is required under chapter 3 of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300,
 MCL 257.301 to 257.329.
    (j) For use by a car rental business, or its employees, agents, contractors, or service firms,
 for the purpose of making rental decisions.
    (k) For use by a news medium in the preparation and dissemination of a report related in
 part or in whole to the operation of a motor vehicle or public safety. "News medium" includes
 a newspaper, a magazine or periodical published at regular intervals, a news service, a
 broadcast network, a television station, a radio station, a cablecaster, or an entity employed by
 any of the foregoing.
    (l) For any use by an individual requesting information pertaining to himself or herself or
 requesting in writing that the secretary of state provide information pertaining to himself or
 herself to the individual's designee. A request for disclosure to a designee, however, may be
 submitted only by the individual.
    (4) Copies or images of source documents retained by the secretary of state under section 1
 of this act and section 5 of the enhanced driver license and enhanced official state personal
 identification card act, MCL 28.305, may be used and disclosed for the purposes of subsection
 (3)(a) and (l).