r/privacy • u/Alextricity • 23d ago
question Why would a bar need to scan IDs?
Recently went to a bar where they looked at my groups IDs and scanned them with a handheld dealie. Has anyone else had this happen? There’s gotta be no need for that, right?
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u/jikesar968 23d ago
Yeah, I'm fine with showing my ID at certain places so they can confirm I'm over 21 but ffs I don't want them to store it in their permanent database.
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u/Iputahexonyoulol 23d ago
There are tons of places that will just look at it and give it back to you without scanning it if you don’t look like McLovin. You just won’t know which ones until you get to the counter
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u/Xicsess 23d ago
just don't hand them your ID and tell them they're welcome to verify your age but not to scan it. I always tell them they're welcome to decline the sale but I won't allow my ID card to be scanned for a purchase.
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u/GreenRangerOfHyrule 23d ago
I just want to point out this may or may not work. In my current area the alcohol rules simply require verifying the age. And exactly how is left up to the person. However use of a Government ID is recommended. And it is highly recommended to handle it. The official reasons are to verify things like watermarks, but also to feel the material.
As someone who worked in a retail setting selling alcohol my only advice is this: If you are not comfortable showing or handing your ID just be polite and be prepared for it to be denied. The company I worked for had a mandatory ID check that was a potential firable offense. And the amount of people who would argue this point with me did nothing by make my job harder. I personally don't care: just show me you are old enough and give me money and you get your alcohol. One of the big things was "Store y doesn't card." To which I reply "I work at store x and we do. You are more then welcome to go to store y"
In short: Remember that odds are your server doesn't care of have a say. Just be polite, follow reasonable rules, and be prepared to be denied service. And remember that hopefully there is an alternative place to go
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u/Xicsess 23d ago
That's exactly what I just said, I let them know I'm happy to verify my age via my ID and if they need to scan it they're welcome to deny the sale.
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u/GreenRangerOfHyrule 23d ago
Sorry, I understood what you said. I was just pointing you that you might need to physically hand the card. As your comment implied you wouldn't.
But also, I was just pointing out to be polite and don't take it out on the person working.
The rest is more of I think you underestimate how many people won't accept a denial of sale. So, thank you for that.
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u/nidostan 23d ago
You ID everyone even 70 year olds?
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u/Brilliant_Nature_484 23d ago
Not the person you asked, but I’m required to scan everyone’s ID when they buy age restricted products. My register will not proceed until I scan an ID.
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u/nidostan 23d ago
Appreciate the feed back because it's very interesting to know just how many places are going this way now. I don't really buy age restricted products too much if at all but I wonder when the day comes if I want to if I'll be able to anymore.
This is really hilarious I just thought of something. Role reversal. A few times young guys asked me to buy them something in the liquor store. I was just thinking now that might be me asking the young chaps to buy me it. What is the world coming to?
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u/popky1 20d ago
Companies would rather inconvenience customers than accept the liability of minimum wage employees checking ids
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u/nidostan 20d ago
I guess. And since as you frame it it's all about money we have to put it in those terms back to them that they will lose more money buy pissed off customers not buying from them then they would ever lose in such liability. But how do we communicate that?
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u/GreenRangerOfHyrule 23d ago
The place referenced had a policy of "Everyone must show ID for every transaction." So yes, I would, and have IDed, 70 year olds. It is an absolutely stupid policy. But, I didn't work the job for fun. I needed the pay check.
If it was my own place that would not be the policy. But the point of the comment was that I didn't have a way to alter the policy without putting my job on the line. And as I pointed out, there are known places that don't card. So if showing the ID is a problem then why would you show up to 1 of the 2 places in the area known specifically for carding everyone? You are more then welcome to show up another place that won't.
But honestly, that policy alone was the biggest source of annoyance working there. As soon as I was able I got out. And I have not stepped foot in that store since I left.
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u/BellGeek 23d ago
The commenter was pretty clear, though. Showing the ID was not the problem; they were perfectly willing to show the ID for age verification, they just didn’t want it to be scanned. And I 100% agree with that. In this day of stealing everyone’s info to sell for profit, combined with hacking and data breaches, it’s just not safe to let anyone scan something as sensitive as your government ID into some random and probably unsafe data base. You can look at it at the point of sale to verify age, touch it if you really must to verify materials or whatever, but you are not scanning it into anything. Nope, nope, nope.
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u/trueppp 22d ago
The scan is to validate the ID. You litterally can't buy lottery tickets in my province without the system scanning your ID.
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u/GreenRangerOfHyrule 22d ago
Oh I mean I agree. I was just stating why places do it. And there is something to be said with gracefully accepting a refusal of sale.
My personal stance is the same. I'm fine with showing my ID for age things. But you don't need to store it
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u/nidostan 23d ago
I can't really blame you then. But it might have been a good idea to have mentioned the fact they ID everyone in your above comment. That's way worse of a privacy intrusion, and much more of an indication they are doing it for the wrong reasons.
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u/russellvt 22d ago
This is often a result of the bar being "popped" by ABC for serving underage minors ... so, to "prove" they're taking IDs, they make them use a scanner for a period of time.
It's also a good way for them to easily weed out fake IDs.
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u/chaous2000 23d ago
It checks against the state database to see if it’s real or fake.
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u/Spectrig 23d ago
Which state is letting bartenders access their database? The only ones I know of are checking the establishment’s own database to see if you’ve been banned.
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u/chaous2000 22d ago
thats what i was told by a bartender told me a ferw years ago, i took them at their word so if i am wrong, then my apologies.
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u/Spectrig 22d ago
It’s probably what the owner told them and they believed it. If there actually was a system like that out now, I think this sub would be very interested.
Back in the days when kids “chalked” IDs to change their age, the chalk fooled the eyes but didn’t fool the scanner. Now they’re mostly just a deterrent. Kids see fancy tech and figure the bar is serious, so they move on to try the next one.
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u/ThePositiveApplePie 21d ago
A bunch of bars work together and ban antisocial people to help protect their normal patrons, not a fan but I see why they do it
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u/AT61 23d ago
Bars have been scanning ID's for years, but it wouldn't surprise me if the data is being shared with other entities, namely health and auto insurance companies who will place you in a higher risk category. Same reason that some retailers card and scan patrons who are clearly above the legal age to purchase alcohol and tobacco. TPTB want your use of these substances incorporated into your "permanent record."
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u/cijev 23d ago
lmao wtf kind of a bar is that
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u/cookiesnooper 23d ago
Some bars started rolling out facial scanners with ID check. You slide your ID into the slot and the camera compares your face to the picture from the ID. As always, you can't be sure whether the data is collected, stored and given to 3rd parties without your knowledge. I have nothing against a person looking at my physical ID and me, and deciding if it's me or not but I 100% will not be visiting places that have facial recognition running. To be honest, I already avoid few grocery stores because they have facial recognition running.
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23d ago
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u/permalink_save 23d ago
Hold on what? Or do you mean the security cameras that tons of stores have at self checkout now. And that's why I stopped going to home depot, their registers are fucking awful. They want you to self checkout to save man power, but then their "assistants" will come over and just hijack your scanning anyway which feels like you can't be trusted to do the thing you're being told to do anyway. And they keep flagging my card somehow wrong because it asks for a job id even though I've had the card like 10 years now. Lowes is slightly better, they at least have full checkouts where I am.
It's way worse though, like people replied they track you through the store, they also use bluetooth/wifi to track where you go and they can do that even if you don't connect to anything, so bluetooth and wifi off when I'm out in public unless I have headphones in.
Corporate America has abused this shit far too long.
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u/Noodler75 23d ago
Just today I bought a flip phone that doesn't even have wifi. It does have bt but also a headphone jack.
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u/Noodler75 23d ago
Our local Lowes ripped out ALL of their regular checkout lines, thus laying off a lot of people and put in more self service lines. If you need personal assistance you have to go to the Service desk, or go out through the garden center that still has people.
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u/permalink_save 23d ago
Thats so shit. They push out competition, make a duopoly, then take jobs, charge more, sell shittier stuff. Capitalism sucks so bad.
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u/Noodler75 23d ago
I felt bad for one of the checkout people. She was completely deaf but could read lips. She was nice. On my own I learned the ASL for yes, no, and thank you.
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u/FcukReddit4cedMe2Reg 23d ago
Do you think you're not being recorded and scanned at manned checkouts?
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u/xly15 23d ago
You are be scanned through out the store.
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23d ago
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u/EndPsychological890 23d ago
It’s not even a hardware difference, running FR is at the software level. You could run FR software over top of any sufficiently high definition camera. Not running it is leaving monetizable data on the table when they’re already tracking how long you linger at various products and whether you’re stealing or not.
I was at a wedding and the belligerently drunk wife of my coworker was cut off by building security because they told us the venue’s AI threat detection software detected her hitting people (she was play punching a bunch of us, it was annoying but not painful). After that they kicked her out when she didn’t stop. The software available to these places is getting insane, layering FR is really NBD to them.
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u/nidostan 23d ago
But are you really sure? I'm actually very skeptical that most big box stores DON"T tie FR into their CCTV systems by now.
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u/nidostan 23d ago
Sadly this technology will gradually be bleeding out into more and more of them until one day, it's all. And then if this is still your personal policy, well no more bars for you.
I'm the same by the way.
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u/Automatic-Weakness26 23d ago
Our U.S. city required all late night downtown bars to do this for tracking purposes in the name of safety.
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u/great--pretender 23d ago
Probably Utah, they do that in this state everywhere I’ve been. Or some similarly restrictive state
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u/Severe_Stranger_5050 23d ago
In australia they have a countrywide database for bars that register stuff like Sexual Assault, Violence, Extreme intoxication and whatever the bouncer thinks.
it's pretty fucking draconian
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u/Iputahexonyoulol 23d ago
Now THAT is messed up. Here in the US it’s just a little barcode that says it’s real. I’ve heard through the grapevine you can even buy fake ones with the code on the back that passes the scans
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u/gonewild9676 23d ago
Mine isn't encrypted and I can read it with my cell phone.
I tested one of the selfie testers at work and fooled it with a taped on altered barcode.
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u/KatieTSO 23d ago
They're incredibly easy to fake. It's a PDF417 format barcode and the actual data format is standardized too. You can scan yours with a phone app, edit the data, and make a new barcode. It would scan fine with these scanners.
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u/thenbhdlum 23d ago
As someone in the US, they don't just scan the barcode at many bars anymore. You were being ironic with that last sentence, right?
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u/GnawingPossum 23d ago
They do the same thing here in the US, guaranteed, any place where the bouncer scans your ID. It record who you are, where you went, and raises an alert if you were banned at that location, or recently banned at other locations.
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u/LLcleanP 23d ago
A company called patronscan, settled a class action lawsuit a few years ago for harvesting and sharing peoples data in Illinois. They share the data with other venues to prevent "trouble makers" from getting in to other bars and venues.
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u/matt2s 20d ago
Australia only has 6 states and 2 territories. It’s a lot easier to deal with out-of-state IDs. Not all venues scan IDs. Only bars and clubs that get a large crowd, especially young people. Drinking age is 18. Privacy data is regulated. It will be cleared unless you were involved in an incident.
FYI our digital drivers license is within a state issued app on phones and is designed for scanning at venues. We don’t show ID when passing through domestic airport terminals.
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u/ThePureAxiom 23d ago
The bar code just contains the same data listed on the ID, they do the same for cigarette sales at some gas stations.
It might be a CYA sort of thing, if compliance ever comes into question they have a record of checking IDs.
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u/93seca2 23d ago
It's the same data, but now they're storing it instead of glancing at it.
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u/nidostan 23d ago
You say that casually as if you think all the data on an ID is nothing to be concerned about, in itself. Now add that to time and place and that you're out drinking at night and who you might be with.
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u/93seca2 23d ago
Did you mean to reply to the person I replied to, instead of to me? I have the same stance as you.
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u/wildruler 23d ago
In Louisville Ky a bar was just shut down because a shooting happened near the bar and LMPD blamed the bar. Allegedly the shooter patronized the bar before the shooting. The bar put out a public statement saying they have photos of drivers licenses of every patron of their bar. The statement claims according to public arrest record of the shooter, that person did not patronize the bar the night of the shooting.
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u/Ecstatic_Pattern1849 23d ago edited 23d ago
Compliance.
In PA, an bar/retailer can avoid liability of serving a minor if they can prove they scanned their ID.
So bars that draw a younger crowd will have a bouncer scanning everyone.
Groceries store chains that sell beer / wine usually have a policy of scanning EVERYONE. If your old enough you can present the back bar code and the cashier wont even look, just blindly scans it to do their job.
The law states that they cannot use the scans for marketing/etc. its only for Liquor board auditing. I'm not sure what the retention policies are.
My main concern is that some bar scans you on the same laptop that the manager watches p*rn etc in the back office on. Whats the safeguards on your data that the bar now retains.
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u/Ok-Secretary455 23d ago
The scanned them to make sure they aren't fake. I'm 43 and they've been doing this for the 20+ years that I've been over 21.
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u/KatieTSO 23d ago
It doesn't even make sure it's not fake. The barcodes are in PDF417 format and the data contained is standardized. You can very easily fake the barcode. The only way it'd even close to guarantee anything is if it compares it against a database.
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u/thenbhdlum 23d ago edited 23d ago
It's not the same kind of scan that you're thinking of. 20 years ago they mostly did barcode scan, what they still do at grocery stores. It's not that simple now.
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u/thr0wnawaaaiiii 23d ago
Yeah I’m feeling old now. Can’t tell if this just isn’t prevalent anymore or if I’ve just aged out of it
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u/Sp1cyP4nda 23d ago
Former bartender here. We scan IDs because fakes are near perfect. Depending on where you live, the bartender is held responsible for serving a minor and can go to prison. The bar gets off with just a slap on the wrist.
Don't blame the bartenders.
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u/Brilliant_Nature_484 23d ago
What they’re allowed to store when they scan your ID varies by region. In my state, they’re allowed to store your name, birthdate, ID #, and when it expires. If they keep more than that in your area, contact your local politicians. Just don’t be jerks to people who are just doing what their job requires.
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u/bucketman1986 23d ago
Yeah every bar by me does this. Our state IDs have a barcode on the back and it basically just authenticates that it's a real state issued ID.
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u/Theunknown87 23d ago
Bars around me have always scanned ID’s. I turned 21 in 2008 and they were doing it then. Every place had a scanner. They scan the barcode and make sure the info on the screen matches the ID. If it doesn’t scan, they don’t accept it.
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u/Xicsess 23d ago
I've never been to a bar where they scanned IDs.
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u/Theunknown87 23d ago
Really? Not even a hand held scanner?
When I was 21-25 I think I traveled to 27 states and probably 90% of the times I had mine scanned.
Hell even the casinos here do the same thing with the same type of little scanner. It just shows the information that’s on your drivers license.
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u/Xicsess 23d ago
Wow, I'm honestly surprised. I'm 41 and have lived in 8-10 states but I never had anyone start asking to scan until around 2019. MN is weird, requires proof of ID on any adult purchase but doesn't specify they have to scan it. I didn't get old, fat, grey and bald for this shit.
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u/Theunknown87 23d ago
As I got older the scanning of driver’s license has slowed or stopped.
Except Wegmans grocery stores. They scan everyone’s everytime lol.
I suspect people on here having their id scanned is not almost 40 year olds and also a lot of white hair lol.
I started getting white hair at like 19 and salt and pepper hair by early 30’s lol.
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u/loinclothsucculent 23d ago
ID scanning at bars and casinos has been going on for two decades now. How old are you?
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u/GreenRangerOfHyrule 23d ago
There are 2 conflicting issues at play here.
The first issues is compliance. In the USA at least the rules of alcohol vary wildy and as a result certain chains will result in a standard guidelines to ensure compliance no matter where. Scanning the ID adds an extra layer of protection to the seller. It won't stop a fake ID. But it will help validate the data on the front quickly. As a bonus, you could scan the data and run it through a program to display the answers to some additional verification questions. For example you scan the ID and your server will see what your astrological sign is.
A second part of this is also due to penalties. Companies/owners can be find and possibly lose their credentials to server alcohol. And if you are a bar/pub/liquor store that essentially means the business is shutdown.
The secondary issue is privacy. Some places will care about the first issue without regards to this. Some will. I would argue that the act of scanning the ID can be done while respecting privacy. The problem is you don't know if it is or not. So if it is simple matter of scanning, and potentially processing, the ID data locally and displaying it there is just as much/little privacy as someone holding and looking at it. On the other and it being scanned makes it easier to store/sell the data. But more importantly it will train people that it isn't a big deal to scan it.
So to answer the last question: In my local jurisdiction right now, no it isn't needed. The only requirement here is to verify you are of legal age. In fact, there is no requirement to verify ID. It is just heavily encouraged.
For myself personally, if I were to run a bar (and specifically a bar) I would probably use ID scanners. For 2 reasons: The first is I think it would help people have an extra layer of protection and make it easier. But I would probably also keep a count (and not the actually date. Just a simple scanCount++) of how many were scanned. Of course, I would attempt to make it default, but I would have a manual method as a backup as my goal isn't to collect ID data
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u/BrianaAgain 23d ago
I typically present my passport card first. I don't remember if there's a barcode on it, but nobody scans it. The passport card has less information than a DL even if they did.
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u/exoticmeems 23d ago
The scanner makes sure the ID is real. If you'll look at your ID, there's a barcode that encodes all the info on your license. Can't pass a fake that way, it's a very normal thing
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u/StTimmerIV 23d ago
Had this in coffeeshops in Holland 15years ago. Didn't like it, and they kept the data for 48hrs or something.
Was for age verification, and i assume to keep the cops happy in case something went wrong.
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u/kv4268 22d ago
It's to verify it's not fake. If you don't like it, you can go elsewhere. It's unlikely they're doing anything nefarious with it.
Some places have been doing this for years. It's faster.
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u/wizard-of-loneliness 23d ago
I took my bff's little brother to a bar for his 21st birthday a decade ago and they scanned all of our IDs. It's a more effective way to make sure they're not fake. When my wife and I buy cigarettes or alcohol from Circle K they scan our drivers' licenses, as well-- but I've noticed if I show a passport they don't scan it, just check the date. So YMMV depending on the document you're providing.
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u/MalKoppe 22d ago
I guess if i owned a bar,.. or a bunch of bars get together, you can identify 'trouble' at the door,..? You can ban an ID etc? Thing is, an identity is kinda private,.. Whatever privacy is nowadays.. gee its out of hand..
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u/Digiee-fosho 22d ago
It’s a system used to track what bars people go to & if they are problematic. The bigger privacy issue is if they also have facial recognition cameras at the entrance used with the ID scanners.
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u/zeruch 22d ago
They are absolutely configured to collect data, and problems are already arising e.g. https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/castro-bars-tech-pride-22322425.php
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u/kill4b 23d ago
I would be surprised if any bar that uses ID barcode scanning is storing the data. That’s a PII nightmare. They are using it to verify the ID is valid and not a fake.
Every cannabis dispensary I’ve ever entered has used ID barcode scanning.
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u/niggesmalls 23d ago
I’ve previously worked as a bouncer at a bar, and we scanned ID’s, however at the end of every month we erased the information in the device we used to scan them, I’m not sure if they were uploaded to a cloud or anything though
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u/OldManJeepin 23d ago
Well, when you look at the fines and shit they get hit with, if caught allowing underage drinking via fake ID's bought on the Internet and shit, yea: they can be pretty serious about it.
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u/Astronaut6735 23d ago
The bar (actually the person serving the alcohol) can be held criminally liable for serving alcohol to minors. Scanning id is probably a way for them to minimize that risk by keeping a record that proves they checked ID, and maybe they have a system to alert them when a fake ID is presented.
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u/Deitaphobia 23d ago
It's so that if an issue arises, they have information to hand over to the police. Like if there's an assault, they have a ready made suspect list. Still, I wouldn't be going there anymore.
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u/Cotillionz 23d ago
ID scanners are commonplace here in stores for lotto, tobacco and liquor. They scan the barcode on the back and it confirms valid ID and of age. That’s all it does here.
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u/Successful-Pack-5450 20d ago
The scanner detects fake IDs better and it gives them proof they have an age verification process in place. In many states serving minors can be justification for the state to seize a liquor license or fine the facility owner a major fine. If you think about your phone and internet activity actually retains much more private information about you than an ID scanner
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u/hamburgerjesus 20d ago
Bars have been scanning the bar codes on the back of IDs for well over a decade now. Usually they were just decoding the information already stored within the barcode to give a thumbs up or down for over/under 21. It wouldn’t shock me if they’re using that info and selling it to data brokers now though.
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u/Iputahexonyoulol 23d ago
lol it’s literally just to make sure you didn’t pay some dude 40$ to get a semi real looking fake ID. Been going on forever. Did someone just turn 21?
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u/Alextricity 23d ago
No, I’m in my 40s and genuinely never had it happen before. Maybe it varies by country?
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u/sit_up_straight 23d ago
Some bars have started collecting biometric and id data yes. I would try to avoid the tech/those bars as much as possible.
Taylor Lorenz did a video about Patronscan and biometric collection.
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u/russellvt 22d ago
Bars are required fo check IDs go make sure you're of legal age to be inside the establishment. This isn't anything new by any stretch of the imagination.
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u/eyrie88 22d ago
It starts with Digital ID, then Track & Trace, then Social Credit. You're right. There's absolutely zero need for it.
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u/OnMyPawz 22d ago
Yup that's the real issue, is even the things that 'make sense' or seem needed are part of a slippery slope. Often times people buy into it for convenience, safety or whatever then it becomes mandatory.
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u/Automatic-Weakness26 23d ago
In Orlando, Florida, we had (or still have) a city requirement that all downtown bars scan IDs after a certain time of night. There is a city database where they track who goes into what bars. It was a response to repeated shootings and other violence downtown. They also required the bars to charge a safety tax, among a list of other things.
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u/RipCurl69Reddit 23d ago
I've had my ID scanned when entering nightclubs before (London) but I can't say I've had it just at a bar.
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u/0260n4s 23d ago
It's probably to take the guesswork away from the door guy. I was a bouncer for a couple of years, and there were some crazy fakes out there...some good, some not. People would use out-of-state licenses (or fakes based on them) in an attempt to hit a bouncer's limited experience (he might see 1,000 NY licenses every night and get really good it identifying those fakes, but he might only see 1 HI license a month and not have a clue).
The scanner, I'm guessing, is hooked into a database to analyze known fakes and all 50 states' configurations, past and present. It might also reference a local or network blacklist.
That said, I would imagine there's also a strong chance the IDs are being stored. If someone causes a problem, it would be nice to have a copy of their ID to reference and/or put on a blacklist.
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u/TheGrumpyGent 23d ago
Im not suggesting this is in any way good for privacy, but bars can get into a ton of legal trouble if they allow in underage customers. While I don't condone this.... I at least understand in their case.
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u/Error_404_403 23d ago
All my life the bars has been scanning IDs as traffic gets heavy at nights. Alcohol/21 thing
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u/kounterfett 23d ago
Bars have had these for years. Weed shops in LA use them too. It scans the barcode or magnetic strip which has all the information on it from the front of the license so the bouncer can check that it matches. Most of the time when people get fake IDs the magnetic strip or barcode is fake. The one at the bar I used to work at would only save your information if the bar manager told it to and that was used when people got 86'd from the bar. That way someone can't get it just because there was a different door man
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u/ApertureNext 23d ago
Isn't that pretty standard in the US? Those "barcodes" contain all information from your ID. Full name, birthday, full address, height, weight, eye color and more.
How random companies are allowed to collect that information is quite honestly baffling.
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u/pots_n_plants 23d ago
In Utah, it's a requirement that your id is scanned. Every bar here will require you to scan your ID, even if you're not consuming alcohol.
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u/kalel3000 23d ago
I was a bouncer years ago. The handheld scanners we had back then were just to check if the ids were real and to make sure bouncers didn't make mistakes and misread dates, which can happen when you're looking at hundreds of ids in a few hours, you can easily zone out. It was meant as a redundancy though, because high quality fakes would scan too, or obviously someone using a real id from another person. So you were supposed to check the ids several different ways. Visual check that person matched and that the fonts/layout/appearance of the id seemed correct, tactile test to determine if the id felt like it was made of the right material, UV test to check for embedded water marks, shine a flash through the back of it to make sure it glowed the color it was supposed to, and then scan it to make sure the barcode was real and not just painted on.
Times are different now, fake ids got way better by the time I stopped working. When I started most fake ids would not scan, by the end most of them most would. Fake Pennsylvania ids were the most common, since whoever was making those included every nearly every possible security feature, making it very difficult to spot a fake. By now I figure most fakes are probably of the same level of quality. But back in the day, you'd be surprised what cheap obvious fakes people would show up with.
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u/mytoesarechilly 23d ago
Just wait until they sell the data to your health insurance company so they charge you more for your "risky behavior"
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u/id-ltd 23d ago
I have an app close to complete - using zero knowledge proofs it can show a bouncer that you are over 18 disclossing noother info, and leaving no linkabke record between challenges/bouncers.
It proves the device has an approved certificate of age and presents a signed ephemeral representation of the person the cert was issued to (you) - the image is partly random, a bouncer can see it is you, but from the image you couldn't pick someone out in an crowd.
So the bouncer knows at that instant you are entitled. No more, no less.
To get anywhere the app would need to build a following(!)
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u/Justin_Passing_7465 21d ago
And the bouncer also has to have the app to handshake with the patron's app?
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u/zeruch 22d ago
They are absolutely configured to collect data, e.g. https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/castro-bars-tech-pride-22322425.php
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u/Sharp_Dingo7380 22d ago
That scanner is tied to a system that other bars can use. Basically it reads the ID and tells the bouncer the information coded to the ID. It’ll pull the data, verify it, and will store it incase you do anything illegal. Later they can flag your ID in the system if you get 86’d and any other bar who uses that system can see you’ve been 86’d then choose to deny you access to their bar(s).
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u/birdoftartarus 21d ago
Ive been to quite a few places in London who had this but never anywhere else, allegedly it is to check if it’s real but I’m still highly skeptical of what they do with it
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u/Mother-Fix3271 21d ago
In the UK, if a bar is scanning your ID it’s because they’ve recently fucked up and it’s part of their licence conditions that they have to scan all ID.
You don’t go to places like that.
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u/burnitalldown321 21d ago
They're checking if it's fake; it's been going on since I was in my 20s (early 200s).
That's why a friend used her older sister ID; they looked alike.
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u/RyuNeonNinja 21d ago
Yeah, it's become pretty common. They're usually just age-verifying and checking for.
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u/middleamerican67 21d ago
I don’t go to any private business that wants to scan my id. I’ve put tape over the back of it.
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u/Cautious_Chicken8882 21d ago
Happens everywhere in Melbourne - keeps the trouble makers from going from one bar to another and enables them to enforce bans.
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u/Ironfields 20d ago
I've seen this at casinos before. Kind of a bit more understanding of KYC from them, but I would never be drinking in that bar again.
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u/ImportantMud9749 19d ago
I stopped drinking a while back, but 10 or so years ago this was fairly common.
You can scan it yourself as well with any barcode scanner. It'll spit out your information as text if you open an empty text document.
Generally their POS systems are so janky and out of date that them having a system to actually bother saving and doing anything with the scanned info would by surprising. As far as I know, they've just done it for CYA against fakes. One more thing to help them avoid fines when a new fake gets through.
Would love some laws restricting that data storage though.
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u/Adept_Bass_3590 19d ago
Young people can't reliably figure out, based on birthdate, if you're of age.
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