Privacy in Michigan for first responders

What protects you in Michigan

Michigan's main lever for officers is the FOIA exemption at MCL 15.243(1)(b)(vi). It keeps personal information of law enforcement personnel out of any record an agency would release under the state's Freedom of Information Act. The exemption applies to the records themselves — agencies are supposed to redact before releasing.

That's most of what the state offers. Michigan does not have a broker-removal statute — no equivalent of New Jersey's Daniel's Law (the NJ law that lets covered officers sue data brokers for failing to remove their home address). There's no state statute compelling brokers to take down an officer's address. The Address Confidentiality Program through the Attorney General's office exists, but it's structured for victims of stalking, domestic violence, and human trafficking — not officer-eligible by default.

There's no state-level DMV confidentiality election for officers either. The federal DPPA is the only floor for DMV-sourced data. Property record redaction at the county register of deeds is also not currently authorized under a state-level officer-specific statute. That's the gap to know.

What still leaks

1. County property records. Michigan registers of deeds publish online. There's no statewide officer redaction mechanism. Buying or selling a home puts your address into the broker pipeline within weeks.
2. DMV records. No state-specific officer confidentiality election. The federal DPPA covers commercial resale; brokers source from elsewhere.
3. Out-of-state and commercial brokers. Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, and the rest don't honor MCL 15.243. They source from out-of-state aggregators and don't care about Michigan's FOIA exemption.

Laws that work for you here

• MCL 15.243(1)(b)(vi) — Michigan FOIA exemption for law enforcement personal information. Applied automatically by record custodians; confirm with your records officer that the flag is set.
• Address Confidentiality Program (Act 301 of 2020 — MCL 780.851 et seq.) — substitute-address program through the AG's office. Primarily for stalking, domestic violence, and human trafficking victims. Officer-by-default enrollment is not currently authorized.

What we sweep that the state doesn't

Michigan hasn't passed officer-specific privacy law beyond the FOIA exemption. The federal DPPA applies. The broker side is what's actually leveraged here, and that's where we operate. We file opt-outs across 200+ people-search sites and re-check every two weeks. After any property transaction, we re-check faster — that's the event that puts a fresh address back into broker feeds the fastest. Your home stays your home, even when the state hasn't given you a removal lever.