Sharing ID Scanner Data

Giving Your Customer Demographic Data Away

There is an ID Checker company who wants to collect your customer data and give you some on-line reports.  This start up believes they can make money selling this data to consumers who will pay to see the demographics of your bar. They sell you an ID Scanner Age Verification system and then  collect zip code (which can indicate how rich/poor your customers are), date of birth (to calculate age), and gender.  With this data, they provide a profile of clients to their customers who are trying to  find bars with the right mix of rich/poor young/old males/females.  Its an interesting idea.  But as a club owner, you should consider the following before agreeing to give away this customer data.

• Will your clients like to be categorized to the rest of the night life community?
• Will clients shun your business if they can see you business has the wrong mix of girls/boys.
• Will broadcasting your client mix attract the wrong group to the club.  Lets say you hae a rich clientle and perhaps it will attract folks from the other side of the track. 
• What happens if a virus or trojan infects the ID Check and starts sending data to identiy thieves.  Is the club liable?  Who is liable?
• How will your competitors use this data?  Do you want your business client data broadcast to your competitors? 
• How accurate is the data transmitted to consumers?  What if a competitor decides not to scan IDs of the males in order to boost the girl/boy ratio?  What happens when a competitor scans 50 young girls IDs into his system at the start of the night to boost his numbers.
• What do you tell clients when they ask why you are letting their personal data be transmitted to the entire city?  What kind of signage should you display at the door - "We are allowing some of your personal data to be sold so consumers can identify what bar is good for them."

Its your client data, think before you share it. 

 

ID Scanner Warning Signs - Questions to Ask

Here are some things to ask and look out for when buying an ID Scanner.  These questions are designed to help you figure out if your buying for somebody who is truely in the ID Scanner industry or just a company reselling whatever gadget sells well.

 

1.) How many years have you been selling ID Scanners?  - Look for a company has been in the industry for a few years if not ten or more. 

2.) Ask if their product detects Fake IDs.  If they give you an unqualified YES, then you know you have a sales person and not an industry expert on the phone.  ID Scanners will detect some fakes but they can not detect all fakes.  A non-industry expert will promise the machine will "stop fakes" when they should promise that it will "stop SOME fakes"

3.) Ask if their company is part of the BBB.org - this organization is where customers can file complaints about a company and where you can see how many complaints have been filed.

4.) Ask some technical questions about the product.  If the sales person has to put you on hold or call you back, run away.  You are not dealing with a person knowledgable about the product.

5.) Ask what their return policy is.  Make sure you can return it if you don't like it and get your purchase price back. 

6.) See if they sell other products like locks, safes, POS equipment, walkie talkies, etc.  Companies that resell these items typically are just marketing companies.  Try to deal with a company that manufacturers, services and sells their product as they can service and repair in house and are more concerned with supporting end customers.

7.) Go to the about page and look up their address.  Then go to Google Maps and see if the address is a home address or mail box etc rented post box location.  Nothing wrong with working with a guy working out of the basement, but if they can't afford a commercial office, how likely are they to be around next year?

 

ID Scanner by The Keg

BREAKING: The Keg of Evanston will reopen Thursday night, owner says

By Marshall Cohen

Published: Thursday, March 8, 2012

Updated: Thursday, March 8, 2012 20:03

From - http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/city/breaking-the-keg-of-evanston-will-reope....T1nzNnnwMzk

 

The Keg of Evanston will reopen Thursday night, owner Tom Migon told The Daily in an exclusive interview.

Chicago-based licensing attorney Barry Holt, who is handling Migon's appeal, said The Keg, 810 Grove St., could legally reopen and sell alcohol because a higher judicial body is reviewing the revocation decision issued by Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl.

Migon told The Daily last week he had appealed Tisdahl's decision to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. Todd Stephens, the attorney who handled the Evanston liquor board hearing, also confirmed the appeal last week.

Tisdahl revoked The Keg's liquor license Jan. 30, just three days after a hearing of the city's Liquor Control Review Board. In her written decision, she pointed to the climbing number of alcohol-related citations issued to underage patrons at the bar — 111 since 2005, including 19 in January alone.

In a statement released exclusively to The Daily, Migon warned underage drinkers from attempting to return to the downtown bar and said he bought new technology to weed out increasingly sophisticated fake identification.

"The Keg has purchased a Z-22 mobile ID scanner as an additional safety device," Migon said in the statement. "This scanner reads driver's licenses and state issued IDs with magnetic stripes and 2D bar codes from 50 states; all Canadian provinces; and military IDs."

Migon met with Tisdahl "concerning the particulars of the appeal" on Thursday, according to the statement.

City spokesman Eric Palmer did not immediately return messages seeking comment Thursday.

Holt added that he expected to find out next month when the appeal hearing will occur.

The full text of the statement is below:

On Thursday, March 8, 2012, the Keg of Evanston reopened for business. The Keg is permitted to be open by virtue of the automatic stay provisions of the Illinois Liquor Control Act when an appeal has been taken from a decision of a local liquor commissioner suspending or revoking a liquor license. The Keg has filed an appeal to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission from the order entered January 30, 2012, by the City of Evanston local liquor control commission.

There have been news stories and other innuendo inferring that the ownership of the Keg was responsible for or had previous knowledge of the contents of a much-reported Twitter account. This Twitter account made statements to the effect that the Keg somehow either condoned or turned its back on underage drinking. Ownership of the Keg vehemently denies making any statements in any Twitter account or even having any knowledge of or connection with that Twitter account. The comments contained therein are completely opposite of the feelings of the Keg towards underage drinking and admission of minors into any establishment serving liquor.

The Keg will not only continue to deny admission to its premises to persons under the age of 21; the Keg will become even more pro active in the prosecution of minors who attempt to gain admission to the Keg by using false or altered identification.

All readers of this statement should know that no one is permitted into the Keg without a state or school issued driver's license or identification bearing the picture and birth date of anyone seeking admission. Furthermore, anyone must have additional identification that is consistent with the photo ID in order to gain admission to the Keg.

The Keg wishes to warn any persons under the age of 21 seeking to gain admission to the Keg that they will be required to have a photo taken with their ID by the camera system that is maintained at the door of the Keg. Furthermore, the Keg has purchased a Z-22 mobile ID scanner as an additional safety device. This scanner reads driver's licenses and state issued IDs with magnetic stripes and 2D bar codes from 50 states; all Canadian provinces; and military IDs. This scanner and the camera which has been in use at the Keg examines every person coming into or seeking to gain admission to the Keg.

The Keg will actively cooperate with all police agencies and aid in the prosecution of any minors seeking to gain admission to the Keg by using false or altered identification (no matter how sophisticated it may be).

While the Keg acknowledges that its ownership met with the Mayor of Evanston concerning the particulars of the appeal; out of respect for the City of Evanston and the legal process, ownership declines to and will not reveal any of the contents of said meeting.

The Keg wishes to send a warning to any minors in the North Shore area that may have the wrong perception concerning the Keg's admission policies. Do not attempt to come to the Keg. You will not be admitted and you will be prosecuted which could result in your loss of driving privileges and your being fined.

Ownership of The Keg of Evanston