Liquor Stores in North Kingstown received ID Scanners with State Grant

Watch these two videos about all four liquor stores in North Kingstown RI receiving an IDVisor Z22 CounterTop ID Scanner.  One of the articles takes a high tech slant and talks about catching Fake IDs while the other is a bit more balanced.  Reporters often try to make the story more sensational so watch both videos.  This is the second video and is not entirely accurate about Fake IDs.

ID Scanners at Airport - its going to happen - just not the way you think.

Chuck Schumer is pushing for new ID Scanners at the airport.  See press article below.  I'm sure one or two ID Scanner vendors will be racing to do a press release about this effort to help their stock price but I think this may be more of a software upgrade versus a hardware deployment.

If done intelligently, this effort could be much easier than many think because the airlines are already scanning the 2D bar codes on your boarding pass when you get on the plane.  Plus the passenger lists are already being screened by the airlines for individuals on the no-fly list.  So its really just a software upgrade for them to scan the 2D bar codes on drivers licenses. 

The process would could work like this.  When you arrive at the ticket counter, they scan drivers license and print your boarding pass.  They could extend same gate terminals to security check point and scan both again and then if necessary scan both documents at the gate before boarding.  And this sort of system makes sense.  We need to provide the TSA with better tools.  Currently its laughable to see them look at your license with a magnifier glass and Ultra Violet Flash light.  Not having an automated tool at TSA is nuts. So the question is not whether they will have ID Scanners at the airport, the issue is how it will be implemented.

Senator pushes for new ID scanner at airport

from http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/erie/Senator-pushes-for-new-ID-scanner-at-airport

Updated: Wednesday, 23 Mar 2011, 5:45 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 23 Mar 2011, 5:45 PM EDT

• Mike Courtney
• Posted by: Eli George

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) - A new machine to scan passenger ID's may be tested at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.

Senator Chuck Schumer is calling on the federal government to use the Buffalo airport as a test site for this technology. Schumer believes these machines would have prevented the recent TSA drug scandal. The government has already chosen JFK as the large airport test site, now they are looking for a medium-size airport site.

The machines Schumer is pushing to test at the airport can electronically scan passenger identifications to weed out fake ID's and detect aliases.

Lead Capture using ID Scanner

Check out this video of an ID Scanner used at trade shows to capture sales leads.  Easy to modify for waste management / recycling operations, visitor managment and Experiential Marketing campaigns.

Police data prompts bars to crack down on underage consumption some using ID Scanners

Second quarter reports from the Carbondale Police Department show city bars are increasing their efforts to prevent underage consumption.

According to the department’s year-to-date summary of bar arrests, there were 84 arrests at Pinch Penny Pub, 27 at Stix Bar & Billiards, 22 at Sidetracks, and 20 at Callahan’s/Cali’s.

Seventy-four of the arrests at Pinch Penny Pub were related to underage consumption, according to the report. At the Feb. 3 Liquor Advisory Board meeting, board chair Mark Robinson proposed bringing the bar’s management to the next meeting to discuss the high number of arrests.

James Karayiannis, general manager of Pinch Penny Pub, declined to comment and asked reporters to leave the bar Wednesday.

In the 2008-2009 liquor license year, Stix Bar & Billiards had a higher number of arrests than Pinch Penny Pub while under the management of Gary Knoob. Stix had 170 to Pinch’s 68 for the license year. Knoob managed Stix, Cali’s and Callahan’s that year, he said.

“The (police) specifically focused on us. They told us they were going to. The entire time we were open, there were three undercover police officers within the building,” Knoob said.

Gary Robinson, owner of Tres Hombres, said Carbondale requires at least half the staff go through a training process called Training for Intervention Procedures that shows servers how to recognize when people have been overserved or are too young. He said in a university town with many underage students, it’s common to see minors try to get served.

Bryan Woodruff, general manager at Sidetracks Bar and Grill, said his entire staff is TIPS trained, and the owners have stressed the importance of thorough license checking, especially with bartenders and doormen.

“Our crowd is generally within 20 to mid-20 (age) range, so we don’t deal with (crowds) directly like Stix and Pinch,” Woodruff said. “They get slammed, so it’s going to be a lot more difficult for them to catch everybody.”

Robby Delre, owner of Cali’s, Callahan’s and Stix Bar and Billiards, said underage consumption has been a problem in the past at his establishments.

The Carbondale Liquor Control Commission voted in December 2008 to fine Knoob for failing to deter illegal activities that took place in the parking lot outside Cali’s, formerly Southern Illinois Nightclub, July 13. Former Assistant City Attorney Jamie Snyder said Knoob’s staff allowed a large crowd to gather outside the bar, which led to charges of marijuana possession, public drinking and fighting.

This year, Delre said his bars had more security and stayed on top of carding and stamping everyone. Staff at Cali’s also use an ID scanner at the front door, he said.

“We turn in more fake IDs than anyone in southern Illinois, not even in Carbondale,” Delre said. “This year we took 76 IDs from kids who were using false IDs at Puck Finch in one day.”

Kayla Kearns can be reached at kkearns@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 265.

from http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/02/09/02092011_city_liquor_kk/

ID Scanner and Privacys - A response to recent 3 part series on ID Scanners in Canada

Canada has tougher privacy laws than the US and ID Checker were made to seem like a problem in a recent 3 part series.  The media often tries to sensationalize an issue to increase its popularity, but if you read all three stories, one will see that its just on nightclub that didn't take the time to display its data use policies.
In Canada, and I would think this also applies to the US,
Consumers have a right to know what data is being collected, how it will be used and the right to opt out.
Business have a right to collect the data and an obligation to explain its data use/storage policy (and then honor it).
To use an ID Reader in Canada, a venue must do one of the following.
1.) If the data is not being stored in a database, then using an ID Scanner is not an issue at all because its just like the bouncer looking (and immediately forgetting) the personal data on the ID.
2.) If the data is being stored, then a sign should be displayed at the ID Scanning location which says something like

• We are using an ID Scanner to Check Age or
  We are using an ID Scanner to Check Age and for Marketing Purposes
  We are using an ID Scanner to Check Age and ....
• We do this to protect our business and the patrons who visit our business (and if using it for Marketing purposes to contact you about upcoming events and/or specials, etc.)
• The information collected will not be sold or rented to any outside party.
• Optional – We will delete this information after X days – Optional
• You have the right to opt out by simply not visiting our facility and we have the right to deny you admission to the facility.
• If you allow your ID to be scanned, then you agree to let us use your drivers license data for the use(s) specified above.

Disclaimers – I'm not a lawer or legal expert and therefore the above comments should be checked with the legal experts in the reader’s jurisdiction.

In Canada - Allowing ID to be scanned is your decision

CTV Southwestern Ontario
 
Updated: Thu. Jan. 27 2011 5:19 PM ET

There are a number of small details you should take note of if you decide to go to a bar or nightclub that uses and ID Swiper, and you should also know your legal rights.
Above all, be aware that whether or not you give out personal information should be your decision to make.
CTV viewer Jeremy Yiu was upset when his ID was scanned at a night club, in large part because he wasn't warned that was going to happen or where the information was going.
Yiu was asked to leave after he asked for information about the model number of the scanner. He says he simply wanted to know if the information was being stored, and he was told it was not.
But when CTV went undercover into the same southwestern Ontario nightclub, reporter Matthew Kang was told the information wasn't deleted until the end of the night.
Margaret Ann Wilkinson, a law professor at the University of Western Ontario, says Yiu had the right to know what information the business was collecting.
"If I want to know whether a bar has records about me, I'm entitled to ask them, and then they have to tell me…People don't tend to do that, but you do have that right."
Keith O'Brien, the manager of Molly Bloom's Irish Pub in London, Ont. says that doesn't happen often, though he understands why some people would be concerned.
The bar is well-known for using scanners and makes sure patrons understand the practice, and he believes in most cases the data collection is harmless.
"I personally wouldn't worry about a small establishment, a private establishment getting your information," he says "unless they're using it for marketing purposes, that's when they're doing the wrong thing."
Questions to ask if your ID is being scanned
There are a number of things people should look for to make sure the business you're at is doing everything right:

• Look to see if there are obvious signs posted explaining why the business is collecting personal information, and whether or not it's shared with others.
• Ask security exactly whey they are using the scanners and what information they collect. By law they have to tell you the complete picture so you have enough information to make an informed decision.
• If you feel at all uncomfortable with an ID scan you are allowed by law to withdraw your consent at anytime, but if you do the business has the right to not let you in.

If you're extremely concerned about where your personal information may end up, some experts say you should simply not visit places that use scanners.
Stephen Jenuth is a privacy lawyer in Calgary, he says "It can be used to virtually obtain a perfect identity theft, that last thing you want is for anybody to scan your licence."
In Ontario, if you have concerns that you'd like to report you can contact the Federal Privacy Commissioner.
Visit http://www.priv.gc.ca/index_e.cfm for more information.

In Canada, Some uses of ID scanners break privacy laws

CTV Southwestern Ontario
 
Updated: Wed. Jan. 26 2011 7:08 PM ET

There are a number of factors involved in whether the use of ID scanners is above board, and when it breaks privacy laws.

While people give out personal information on a regular basis, like when filling out a contest ballot or placing an order online, there are some differences when it comes to the scanners.

And it comes down to whether you choose to go to places that you know use the scanners, and how the information is used by those businesses.

Margaret Ann Wilkinson is a law professor at the University of Western Ontario, she says much of it depends on what a business does with the information it collects.

"They can only use that information for the purposes for which it was collected," she says, "if they were using it for the purposes of making sure that people were of age, under the liquor licencing regulations, then they can't suddenly start using it to market invitations to special events."

A business must also prove it has good reason to collect and store the information.

Three years ago, the Calgary nightclub Tantra, was holding the personal information scanned for 30 days. They claimed it helped reduce crime by more than 70 per cent.

But Alberta's Privacy Commissioner disagreed with the practice.

Tantra Nightclub's Paul Vickers says "What they've done now is taken that all away from us. It is our right, our private property to protect, which is our number one concern, to protect public safety going into our venues."

Aside from being aware of whether or not your information is being collected, you should also consider when and how it is happening.

The federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act says "The identified purposes should be specified at or before the time of collection to the individual from whom the personal information is collected…orally or in writing."

At Molly Bloom's Irish Pub in London, Ont. they make the process very clear.

Keith O'Brien, manager at Molly Bloom's says, "We do legally have to have a note at the front door, explaining what we're doing and the process, and they're able to opt out of it. If they like they can choose not to have their ID scanned, but then we do deny you if we don't get your ID scanned."

Jeremy Yiu told CTV about a visit to a southwestern Ontario nightclub where his ID was scanned without his permission.

A hidden camera visit to the same location by CTV News couldn't find any obvious signs explaining the process, and security did not explain until after they were asked. Repeated requests for an interview were also turned down.

Wilkinson says if the ID scanners only read the information, but don't collect and store it, the business doesn't have to explain anything. It is essentially a machine taking on the role of security personnel.

But security at the nightclub told CTV the information was stored until the end of the night, which means they are violating privacy laws.

Wilkinson says "If it is going to a database, and they either deny or don't explain, then they are in violation of the requirements of the personal data protection legislation."

Coming up in part three: Find out what you should look for at a bar or nightclub that scans IDs and your rights under Canadian law.