Today in TechBar bouncers requesting ID and… a Facebook profile?
Imagine this: You're in line to get in to your favorite bar. You're stopped by the bouncer at the door who asks to see your ID... and your Facebook account? In the U.K., the practice is becoming increasingly common.
According to the BBC, bars in England are worried over fines for admitting underaged drinkers — often as high as $8,000. For U.K. bouncers, checking a patron's Facebook profile is a good way to weed out fake IDs. In a few short moments, the bouncer can verify a person's name and date of birth. It's not a replacement for checking a person's identification, but an extra, optional verification step.
Congress is acting to stop employers from demanding access to your Facebook profile, but the legislation says nothing about stopping bouncers. Of course, the security and privacy concerns are similar. And the method of checking a bar-goer's cellphone is far from fool proof — in fact, it's anything but since a customer can easily create a fake Facebook profile.
[Image credit: Anuj Biyani]
This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca
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