#ILLINOIS TOLLWAY IPASS SYSTEM LICENSE#

“The Illinois Tollway works tirelessly to protect the information of our customers,” Rozek wrote. Tollway attorneys, he wrote, “take great care in carefully handling customer information and ensuring the Illinois Tollway adheres to applicable law.” In one, Illinois Tollway Executive Director José Alvarez said he’s “very open and interested in working with lawmakers” and vowed to examine I-Pass privacy issues.Īdditionally, Illinois Tollway spokesman Daniel Rozek wrote in an email that all state agencies - including the tollway - must comply with subpoenas, according to state law. The agency did not address a list of WBEZ’s questions for this story, but responded with written statements. It’s not clear whether the tollway has ever rejected any subpoena for its customers’ data. I would call it mission creep,” she said. “It should not be a system that allows the government to turn over to private litigants detailed information about your whereabouts, and to the extent that it is, people should know that. “This is supposed to be a program that collects money for when you drive on the roads,” said Karen Sheley, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. “It’s scary when these government agencies, like the tollway or places that have what feels like nearly unlimited access to my whereabouts or my child’s whereabouts, are careless with the information,” she said. Ellen’s ex-boyfriend also requested similar private information about her parents, and the tollway turned all of it over - without ever notifying Ellen or her family.

#ILLINOIS TOLLWAY IPASS SYSTEM LICENSE#

The tollway complied with that legal request, and also turned over information about Ellen’s new cell phone number, email address, credit card and license plate. That’s because he opened a court case to which Ellen wasn’t even a party, then subpoenaed the Illinois Tollway for I-Pass transponder records that would show her movements on the state’s tollways. She even bought a new car with a new license plate - all to make it harder for her troublesome ex to contact her.īut a few months later, Ellen’s ex obtained all that information - and much more - without her knowing.

With the order of protection in place, Ellen said she also changed her cell phone number and email address. She said even the cops eventually got sick of coming out and suggested she get a restraining order against her ex. (WBEZ is identifying her with a pseudonym for her family’s safety.) In a court filing, Ellen said he would call and text so much - he even started sending letters to her house every day - that she felt like she was being stalked. He continued requesting wellness checks on the little girl even though police never found anything wrong.

Illinois tollway ipass system