FC: Pennsylvania cops track you via all those driver license scans

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[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 <ayavuzk () fas harvard edu>
To: declan () well com
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.






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