Special Report: Swipe at Your Privacy

They've proven to be a valuable tool in detecting fake ids, but some privacy experts are saying they're too effective. Jonathan Hall discovers how these devices might be taking a swipe at your privacy.

Many of us have been there before. Waiting in line to get into a club and having our ids swiped to check if they're valid.

Sean Davis, Nightclub general mgr.
"It's going to be tough to get a fake ID's past us."

Fake ID's are getting more sophisticated, yet, club owners swear by these scanners to detect them. The scanners read the magnetic strip or barcode on the back of the license, to make sure the information on the front is valid.

Sean Davis
"It's gonna come back, alcohol yes, tobacco yes."

This technology is so successful in routing out fakes, that banks, airports, including Logan, and state agencies are using it in an official capacity.

Mary-Jo Griffin, Chair, Alcohol Bev. Control Comm.
"Our investigators have found it to be a very effective tool in their investigations."

But privacy experts say, these scanners are too powerful. When special software is attached to this device, it has the ability to store all the information on the front of a license. Including addresses and social security numbers, which is legal in Massachusetts.

Barry Steinhardt, ACLU
"What's being created are huge interlocked databases that allow both marketers and the government to compile massive amounts of sensitive information about us."

It would be perfectly legal for club owners to sell this information. But owners we spoke to said, what they gather stays in house and it's a strong marketing tool.

Bobby Piera, Bar owner
"It kind of gives you a good feeling of the flow of the group of people that come in your room. Their ages, sex, time they came in the door."

Paul Barclay, Club owner
"We realize on Sunday nights a band has a higher female demographic."

Clubgoers we spoke to had mixed reactions.

Gail Dao, Marlborough
"That stuff is very confidential, I wouldn't want a club to have my social security number."

Matt Demleus, Brookline
"If the club's using it for its own use, I don't see any problem with it." 

Alice Moore, A.G. Public Protection Bureau
"You really need to know before you turn that license over for scanning, why they're doing it, and what they're using that information for."

According to the Attorney General's Office, there are a number of things you can do to protect your privacy:

• Do not use your social security number as your driver's license number. For a small fee, the registry of motor vehicles will change that for you.
• Always ask the person at the door, if they are storing your information. Many of these scanners just check the license and nothing more.
• If they are storing your information, look for a sign posted near the entrance. This should tell you exactly what they're going to do with it.