[Pennsylvania's laws on alcohol are approximately as rational as Singapore's laws on chewing gum, Texas' laws on shopping for cars online, and the District of Columbia's laws on firearms. --Declan] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003 01:56:19 -0400 From: Danny Yavuzkurt <ayavuzkat_private> To: declanat_private Subject: And the hits just keep on coming.. (PSU Daily Collegian: Cops use ID info in criminal cases) >From the Daily Collegian, today: "Cops use ID info in criminal cases" So, apparently all these ID scanners they've been using around the state liquor stores have been secretly storing the information they gather about who's buying what in a police database - which the cops can use as evidence to make arrests. They're only *required* in state liquor stores (which are the only allowable venues for liquor purchases in PA), but are strongly encouraged at beer distributors and - get this - bars. So they can tell where you went, when you went, and possibly even who you went with. Information that won't be misused?.. maybe, maybe not.. and I've seen that they actually *scan* every ID at these places, even IDs from people who look patently old enough.. even my mother (and I'm 23) gets scanned when buying wine at the local liquor store! Also, many local bars *have* begun scanning IDs when entering.. at least, some of them have, especially when there's an 'event' going on.. most drinking establishments still just use the old human-looks-at-the-ID method, but the scanners are definitely spreading.. it's getting to be an atmosphere of total distrust of anyone who looks under 30, here in State College.. no one treats students like they have an ounce of human dignity or privacy anymore.. and of course, there's that article I sent you yesterday about the public surveillance cameras that are being proposed.. it's really getting '1984'-esque around here.. And what's really chilling is that I, for one, and I'm sure many others, had no idea that the scanners were adding to databases.. thought it was just an easier way to check if an ID was 'good' or not.. naive, I now see. If the government ever has a chance to collect data, and use it, it will. -Danny http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2003/04/04-09-03tdc/04-09-03dnews-08.as p Wednesday, April 9, 2003 Cops use ID info in criminal cases Police can retrieve data as evidence when a driver's license is scanned at a Pennsylvania liquor store. By William Berry Collegian Staff Writer Scanning a driver's license at the local liquor store can reveal more than just age. When a patron's ID is scanned to ensure authenticity at a liquor store, the person's purchase and identification information is added to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's (PLCB) electronic database in Harrisburg, PLCB spokeswoman Molly McGowan said. Police can retrieve the information for use in criminal cases, she said. For example, an underage man died of alcohol poisoning at a party in Bloomsburg about two years ago, McGowan said. Going back through the electronic database, authorities were able to locate where the alcohol was purchased and find the person responsible for bringing it to the party, she said. The buyer was later criminally charged for his involvement, she added. McGowan said the electronic records are available only to police. Employers or other officials have no access to such records, she added. The first ID scanners began appearing in Pennsylvania liquor stores in 1997, McGowan said. Currently, all 638 liquor stores across the state use the machines. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to adopt the ID scanning technology, and since then, many other states have started using similar processes, McGowan added. Identification cards from any state can be scanned as long as they have a magnetic strip on the back. Even with the scanners in place at all state stores, workers still need to be careful, McGowan said. "Nothing's completely foolproof," she said. "It does provide an extra degree of protection rather than inspecting the ID manually." Students understand the logic of keeping a database, but at the same time say there must be limits. "With alcohol consumption comes responsibility," Brian Tkaczyk (senior-English) said. "If you are going to be irresponsible with something as powerful as alcohol, they can track you." However, monitoring a person's drinking habits would cross into the realm of violating a person's privacy, Tkaczyk said. For bars and beer distributors, scanners are not required by law. However, the scanners add credibility and are a deterrent to someone trying to use a fake ID, McGowan said. Some of the more sophisticated machines are capable of recording who has purchased alcohol in the past, McGowan said. At The Deli, 113 Hiester St., scanners have made checking patrons' ages easier, Manager Sandra Hooper said. Employees use a hand-held scanner, and, when an ID is swiped, it quickly shows the age of the person on the card or announces the person is underage, she said. The scanners are more convenient than inspecting each ID individually, Hooper said. "It's just to get customers in and out a little faster," she said. The downside, Hooper said, is that the person working the door has to ensure the face on the ID is the person being admitted. Scanners have also helped at W.R. Hickey Beer Distributors Inc., 1321 E. College Ave. "It's a more accurate way of checking the information," Vice President Chris Hickey said. After an ID card is scanned, the machine gives a readout of the date of birth, he said. The scanner keeps records of everyone who has purchased alcohol, so, if an issue comes up a few months down the road, the distributor can go back and show the record of the transaction, he said. The scanner is the same model used by state liquor stores and costs $2,000, he said. "All the beer distributors around here have them," he said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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