Is your state DMV website secure?
An encryption analysis of DMV websites
CivicDMV launched the DMV Digital Standards Project to analyze the state of all Department of Motor Vehicles public-facing websites and set a baseline standard in raising the bar for these.
We begin with an analysis of the state of encryption (HTTPS) and DMV websites.
HTTPS and why it matters
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a web security protocol or security certificate that validates and ensures privacy protections on the internet are adhered to.
This is important when protecting user privacy and is the responsibility of any public service organization.
User privacy and security must be a top priority for state agencies like the DMV, particularly because of the agency’s role in validating and collecting personal information about people’s identity.
Proving secure service is a fundamental component of digital government service. As the U.S. federal government states:
“The American people expect government websites to be secure and their interactions with those websites to be private.”
DMV and HTTPS
As you can see from our analysis, DMV websites across the United States are inconsistent in delivering privacy and security. However, the majority (92%) of DMV public-facing websites are secure with only 8% not meeting the standard.
Currently, the following state DMV websites are not encrypted:
Note: Hawaii does not have a state-run DMV. The DMVs in Hawaii are run at the local level.
Methodology
We used SSL Checker to validate DMV website SSL certificates.
Data
We recorded the data in this spreadsheet and exported it into Google Data Studio where we created the visualizations.
Take action
It is low effort and cost to add a valid Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate to websites. For example, Let’s Encrypt offers free SSL certificates that are trusted in all major browsers. For DMV websites that are not HTTPS-enabled, Let’s Encrypt is an excellent option to remedy this.
Get involved
Learn more about the DMV Digital Standards Project and how you can get involved.
