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Thread: "ID scans for beer" - A Note On Buying Adult Beverages

  1. #1

    Thumbs up "ID scans for beer" - A Note On Buying Adult Beverages

    Every now and then I like to kick back and enjoy a cold beer. Acme markets recently advertised a great price for a brand of beer I enjoy. I went into the store and quickly located a 12 pack of the advertised special. When I went to pay the clerk told me she would have to see my ID. I showed her my PA driver's license and she went to grab it from my hand. I asked, "What are you doing?"

    She replied, "I have to scan the license."

    I said, "No you don't."

    She said,"Well then, I can't sell you beer."

    I walked out without the beer.

    I remember whenever I would ask my late grandmother how old she was she would always say, "I'm 21 past!"

    I too am 21 past...well 21 past. I am all for making sure adult beverages are not sold to underage people, but the experience at Acme was a little extreme. Why would they want to scan my license? In my humble opinion it amounts to a theft of my personal information. That strip is not put on the back of the license for Acme to scan, store my personal data and sell it to further clog my mailbox with an ever increasing mountain of junk mail.

    I contacted my State representative's office and made an inquiry as to the legitimacy of Acme scanning my state issued license. The response I got was an email that had two web links embedded in it about why they scan licenses. Both of them were a load of crap. Or even worse, they raise the specter of Acme being online with the state computer system for motor vehicle information.

    One of the articles stated they scan the license to make sure it is valid. How would they know the license was valid unless they were online to the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles? It went on to further state scanning the license spared the employee the burden of doingthe math to determine if the individual attempting to make the purchase is of legal age. I guess being totally stupid qualifies one to be a cashier. Its a shame somone would put that into writing but I read it with my own eyes. Pretty sad.

    Buying beer is legal. Do I need to have someone make a record of it every time I decide I want to buy it? If that's the case it will soon be more difficult to buy beer than it is to buy a gun.

    As for me no one is going to scan my license except the State Trooper I may have the misfortune to be stopped by. After walking out of the Acme I went to the local beer distributor where they are always glad to see you and they always use common sense on asking people for their ID. I noticed as I waited to check out, the guy in front of me appeared under 30. They asked for his ID and they did not scan it. Thy thanked him for showing it and randg up the sale. Amazing! The cashier could actually make an intelligent determination the individual in question was of legal age to purchase beer.

    What a sad commentary it is where people will give up their personal information without questioning how it will be used, or more appropriately stated, abused. As for me, I will forego any future sales prices Acme may have on Adult beverages and continue to deal with my local beer distributor who really apreciates my business.
    http://mikemorrone.com/Epinion_Page.html


    IMO he makes some very valid points. When they scan your "ID" for booze, are they sending the information back to the state ? And also why do they even scan people's ID's that are clearly over 21 ? Something else may be at work here, back in the 90's it was "if you're over 40 no one's supposed to ask to see your "ID" to buy booze.

  2. #2

  3. #3
    Sounds like its time to brew one's own beer.

  4. #4
    Senior Member
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    Could be more to it.
    Like the sale could get transferred to the police data banks and when the plate gets scanned while driving on the roads the police know how much beer you have. And your consumption habits. Targeting you.

  5. #5
    Its sufficient to see the license rather than scan it. The ID validation books they sell nowadays are rather detailed and its easy to determine if an ID is valid or not --even if its a good fake, that isn't the responsibility of the store to make counterfeit proof ID. If someone clearly looks to be over 18, it should not be an issue.

    From first hand observation, more and more police organizations are encouraging even bars to scan IDs using scanners instead of relying on manual reconition. (Of course, some people fail to realize even that part of the ID can be copied and faked!) Although the bar scanners don't necessarily collect information, the ones at the grocery store you are likely tied into a very vast information repository creating a deep profile about you.

    One option is to use a passport or a passport card without RFID--likely a grocery store will be unable to scan the (optical) MRZ although it is possible. They may however have an RFID/NFC (near field communication) system set up. One could use an RFID/NFC shield alternatively. It should be of sufficiency to check the birth date without a scan.

    One might consider going to the State AG to curb that kind of intrusion because a vendor (licensed by the State) should not have authority to bar a transaction because someone prefers to opt out of being profiled. They are also doing the same thing with art supplies. I went to acquire some acrylic sealer to preserve family and business documents (i.e. makes them waterproof) the clerk said he needed to see ID. I laughed. I took a trip a couple miles away and acquired the sealer without ID. The clerk's excuse was "people use to get high..we have to treat everyone the same" to which I replied "so if that guy kills someone you get to do time with him?" He had a perplexed look on his face as I walked off.

    BTW, those self check out terminals at grocery stores appear to be the two way kind of camera/screen technology. The technology of embedding cameras in LED/LCD screens has been around for quite some time.
    Last edited by allodial; 09-06-15 at 02:50 AM.
    All rights reserved. Without prejudice. No liability assumed. No value assured.

    "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius
    "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." Proverbs 25:2
    Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Thess. 5:21.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by shikamaru View Post
    Sounds like its time to brew one's own beer.
    Many people are making their own brew now, too much intrusion into the lives
    of private citizens now. From the people that call themselves "government",
    Michael Bloomberg types numbers are growing sadly enough for our once
    proud nation

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by allodial View Post
    Its sufficient to see the license rather than scan it. The ID validation books they sell nowadays are rather detailed and its easy to determine if an ID is valid or not --even if its a good fake, that isn't the responsibility of the store to make counterfeit proof ID. If someone clearly looks to be over 18, it should not be an issue.

    From first hand observation, more and more police organizations are encouraging even bars to scan IDs using scanners instead of relying on manual reconition. (Of course, some people fail to realize even that part of the ID can be copied and faked!) Although the bar scanners don't necessarily collect information, the ones at the grocery store you are likely tied into a very vast information repository creating a deep profile about you.

    One option is to use a passport or a passport card without RFID--likely a grocery store will be unable to scan the (optical) MRZ although it is possible. They may however have an RFID/NFC (near field communication) system set up. One could use an RFID/NFC shield alternatively. It should be of sufficiency to check the birth date without a scan.

    One might consider going to the State AG to curb that kind of intrusion because a vendor (licensed by the State) should not have authority to bar a transaction because someone prefers to opt out of being profiled. They are also doing the same thing with art supplies. I went to acquire some acrylic sealer to preserve family and business documents (i.e. makes them waterproof) the clerk said he needed to see ID. I laughed. I took a trip a couple miles away and acquired the sealer without ID. The clerk's excuse was "people use to get high..we have to treat everyone the same" to which I replied "so if that guy kills someone you get to do time with him?" He had a perplexed look on his face as I walked off.

    BTW, those self check out terminals at grocery stores appear to be the two way kind of camera/screen technology. The technology of embedding cameras in LED/LCD screens has been around for quite some time.

    That RFID chip isn't as benign as they tell us it is either, it most certainly does transmit ACTIVELY! It's only passive in pet recovery chip apps, but the bank cards & STATE ID's are active devices in most cases. Of course they could look at someone's ID to determine if it's a fake or not, but they won't do that. Instead it will just be a further intrusion into the private lives of ordinary Americans for no good reason.
    Last edited by loveunderlaw; 09-06-15 at 12:26 PM.

  8. #8
    BevMo stores have been scanning ID's for anyone who "looks under 50" for quite some time. Why not just show the ID to the clerk long enough for them to verify, whether they do or not, place the money down on the counter and walk out with your purchase. Even "secret shopping" services do a version of that all the time.

    The RFID chip within passports can be smashed or microwaved in order render the chip useless. No RFID security wallet necessary.

  9. #9
    Likely someone can come up with something to prevent the back of an ID from being scanned but still expose the face of the ID.
    All rights reserved. Without prejudice. No liability assumed. No value assured.

    "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius
    "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." Proverbs 25:2
    Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Thess. 5:21.

  10. #10
    Yes, slide a strong magnet across the magnetic strip.

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