Sales clerks scan drivers licenses now?

[Guest sling]

I was gassing up at the Thorntons gas station yesterday and went inside to grab a beer. Naturally, as i am somewhat baby faced, i forked over my DL impulsively. The clerk didnt even look at it but scanned the barcode on the back of my DL to confirm my age.

I did not like this. My information is more than likely in their database now. They encode most of your personal information on those things. Invasion of privacy if you ask me. Anybody else come across this?

And no... my tin foil hat is not on too tight.,

[Guest TNDixieGirl]

If you've ever written a check at any retail store in years past, they've already plugged in your driver's license number/data several times over.

[Guest Verbal Kint]

And no... my tin foil hat is not on too tight.,

I'm not a TN resident, but I haven't seen this occur here (yet). I bought some alcohol the other night and got carded. The cashier simply looked the ID over and handed it back... no barcodes involved.

I guess I can see why they would go that route though. It would be much harder to fake/manipulate that a fake ID. Even the hologram overlays are easily reproduced now days. But a barcode would have to be accurately reproduced on the ID, as well as the information correctly formatted in their system to read it.

[towerclimber37]

I had an indian guy in a gas station ask for my id when I went to get some snuff.

I held it out to him and he tried to take it..when I didn't let it go but instead just held it..he got upset. I told him he couldn't have it but could view it. he said "I won't run away with it" ...I said "yep..I know..cause I won't give it to you."

[Guest sling]

Dixie, i dont write checks.

You're missing the point entirely.

I am aware of the "privacy" involved with writing a check or using a check card.

Hence why i pay only in cash for pretty much everything. My ATM card is used at my bank exclusively.

I am merely point out that this a new thing.

[poak]

I was gassing up at the Thorntons gas station yesterday and went inside to grab a beer. Naturally, as i am somewhat baby faced, i forked over my DL impulsively. The clerk didnt even look at it but scanned the barcode on the back of my DL to confirm my age.

I did not like this. My information is more than likely in their database now. They encode most of your personal information on those things. Invasion of privacy if you ask me. Anybody else come across this?

And no... my tin foil hat is not on too tight.,

They've been doing this on the West Coast for a while. Supposedly its to combat counterfeit IDs (they wont scan), usage of duplicate IDs (only the most recent one will scan vaild), and the physical "doctoring" of the IDs appearance (as those of us born in '84 may have tried to turn a 4 into a 1, prior to 2005 ).

I dont like the idea of having my purchases and whereabouts constantly tracked either though.

[TripleDigitRide]

This is the first I've heard of this. I don't buy beer, but I'll keep an eye out for them doing this to someone else.

[Guest TNDixieGirl]

Your point as stated was "invasion of privacy" and I was simply letting you know you're state ID isn't private if you've ever presented a check to a retail store that asked for your ID as well. Before debit cards hit the scene, every time I wrote a check the clerk keyed in my driver's license number with it. If you've never written a check before, more power to ya. It was just a thought.

[molonlabetn]

Has yet to happen to me.

Good reason to start brewing my own.

[TGO David]

Happened to me somewhere the other day, but I can't recall where or for what. I usually don't write many checks. Maybe it was at Guns & Leather?

[Punisher84]

Alot of places do it. The technology was built for law enforcement originally, but consumer markets picked up on it to keep cashier's honest on age specific sales items. I've only had it done when I buy a M rated video game, cigarettes (when I smoked), and alcohol, or when I write a check.

It doesn't bother me. I'm not trying to be snotty, but at some point everyone going to have to realize that their info is out there whether they want it to be or not, it's just a matter of how hard someone wants to get it and is it worth going to the trouble.

[Guest bkelm18]

I've never had it happen to me but I wouldn't care if they did. Everyone's info is pretty much easily obtained on the internet or elsewhere. Worrying about someone scanning your DL seems pretty silly given the grand scheme of things.

[dunndw]

scratch up the bar code...accidentally of course...problem solved

[Guest 2HOW]

we have a DL scanner at work "your local friendly Ford dealer" and we scan DLs for our data base and because its cheaper than using a copy machine, there is no info on there you cant get anywhere else, ie a phone #

[towerclimber37]

we have a DL scanner at work "your local friendly Ford dealer" and we scan DLs for our data base and because its cheaper than using a copy machine, there is no info on there you cant get anywhere else, ie a phone #

cool! I'm STILL not going to allow someone who's not a state employee take control of my id card...if he wants one, he can go pay the 12 bucks for it.

:shrug:

[BrandonTN]

They have been doing this in other states for years now...I guess TN is just a little "behind on the times."

It is mainly done to target fake IDs...

[strickj]

Writing checks is a woman thing! I write maybe one a month.

I have never had this happen to me,but then again I dont buy beer! I drink other peoples beer

[Guest Jason F.]

cool! I'm STILL not going to allow someone who's not a state employee take control of my id card...if he wants one, he can go pay the 12 bucks for it.

Good in theory but will not work with anyone who follows the TN alcohol and tobacco laws. An ID that you can not physically verify is valid is in fact not valid. No one really follows the law on it but a ID in a plastic holder like a wallet is not acceptable. I worked for a joint that required us to follow the letter of the alcohol laws and if you would not remove it from your wallet and hand it to me you would not get served.

Now in this day and age it is less of an issue. Those laws are a little bit of a hold over from the days when id's were laminates and it was easy to separate them, change the picture or glue a picture over them to create a fake. Any separation of the laminate at all even from wear made the ID no longer valid. With todays new credit card style cards that is not really an issue. It is still taught that way in the Tennessee alcohol service classes though.

[Schadenfreude]

"Writing checks is a woman thing!:screwy:"

Amen to that, a woman will whip out a check book!!!!!!

I also saw one once who had memorized her credit card # to pay at a chain store - thats scary stuff

[Schadenfreude]

As soon as they perfect the portable DNA scanner this will all be obsolete, til then I guess we will have to rely on the RFID chips they implant at birth

Seems to me that if people begin to mindlessly swipe dl's to verify it, it would be even easier for someone to counterfiet them.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

I guess TN is just a little "behind on the times."

They have been for years!

[Tobashadow]

Give me a hour if i really wanted to make up a fake bar code for one.

Bar codes are completely too simple to modify for what ever information.

It's just a pattern people!

A few mins to relize which of the standard pattern's it is using (it has to use one trust me or the scanners wont work) and using two id's and a cheap cheap cheap bar code scanner and you could get a baseline on what info area means what and bingo you can make your own.

Nothing is safe with bar codes.

[Mike.357]

my guess is that by scanning the ID the machine was simply reading the date of birth on it and not storing any vital statistics.

Some store clerks are not bright enough to read you DOB and actually figure otu your age. So they use the software on the cash register to figure it out for them.

[Marswolf]

If you are over 50, you don't have to be IDed any more. They should have made it 30. Actually, the whole law should have been allowed to expire, if you ask me.

[Guest TNDixieGirl]

Actually, the law they passed last year required EVERYONE to be ID'd for alcohol and tobacco products no matter how old you are. They don't care if you look 70, they are required to ask for ID. Every time I buy cigs, they ask for ID and manually enter my birthdate on the register before it will allow them to finish ringing up the purchase. If that law changed, I haven't heard about it yet.