Letters being mailed to those impacted by storage crash of driver licensing documents

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, July 12, 2018

Honolulu – On September 15, 2017, a server containing multiple disks managed by Marquis ID Systems (MIDS) for the State of Hawai‘i’s drivers’ licensing programs had a multiple hard disk crash. There was no security or data breach, but some data was not readable.

Since March 2018, the city has been working closely with MIDS to more closely identify the affected applicants who applied for a driver’s license or a state identification card. The city and MIDS estimate that approximately 44,000 applicants are affected statewide, a decrease of approximately 22,500 people from the estimate provided in a press release on March 22 due to further forensics by the city’s Department of Information Technology.

This week MIDS is mailing letters to the affected individuals statewide who provided copies of documents that are now unreadable and to inform them that should they desire a card with the REAL ID gold star, they may return at their convenience to the driver licensing offices in their county with appropriate documentation and a duplicate card will be issued.  

The affected individuals will not need to pay for MIDS’ or the county’s processing fees that would otherwise be charged to get the new cards, as long as they return by December 31, 2019. Maui County has established a return date of June 28, 2019. The highest waived fee is $10, while the lowest waived fee is $5, depending on the county a person resides in. The majority of waived fees will be for $6. 

“The city appreciates MIDS’ efforts to correct the situation by offering affected customers a complimentary card transaction as a means of thanking our customers for their understanding and patience,” said Director of Customer Services Sheri Kajiwara. “General information on the data crash event and answers to the most frequently asked questions are available on the city’s website at www.license.honolulu.gov. For the next 30 days all counties have made available a hotline for questions people may have, as noted on each counties’ letter.”

—PAU—