Re: Driver Licenses

[Lucky Green <shamrock@cypherpunks.to>]

On Sun, 8 Feb 1998, William H. Geiger III wrote:
> My question is what is the best way to remove this information from the
> cards?

Making the mag stripe on a driver license unreadable by a POS terminal is
easy. A refrigerator magnet will suffice. There is only one problem:
chances are you then won't be sold any alcohol.

See, major chains, such as the Southland corporation [7/11], recently
installed POS terminals that are linked to the cash register. [This may
not have reached a particular reader's area yet, please don't reply with
"but my 7/11 down the corner does not do this"].

Unless a driver license has been swiped, the cash register will not permit
the clerk to ring up the sale. It doesn't matter how old you are, you can
be 80 years old and in a wheelchair, no government issued ID with working
mag stripe, no alcohol or tobacco products for you.

The clerk at my local 7/11 assured me the information captured would not
be forwarded to a central site. Yet. It appears the stores are installing
these systems to protect themselves against police sting "test buys", in
which the authorities take persons just days shy of their 21st birthday,
put theater makeup and/or a gray beard and wig on them and thus entrap
store clerks into selling controlled substances to minors.

As any fool can predict, the information captured will not remain local
for long. After all, the system is ideal for monitoring gun^H^H^H alcohol
purchases of parolees, tracking down deadbeat dads, etc.


-- Lucky Green <shamrock@cypherpunks.to> PGP v5 encrypted email preferred.
   "Tonga? Where the hell is Tonga? They have Cypherpunks there?"