Security → Bouncers 'checking Facebook on phones' as identification

»www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/17930370 from »www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bi ··· d=132072 ...

Crazy! I'm glad I don't own a mobile phone and have a real Facebook account.

This whole "let me see your insert-social-network-here" thing is really getting out of hand.

By seeing her pic, I'm guessing the bouncer just wanted to stalk her later...

I'm out of touch but is the latest pickup line "Hey babe mind if I friend you?"?

IDK man, but I'd "friend" the hell outa that one...

Exactly. Can't really blame him.

But on a serious note, when will this madness stop? I suppose all of us "geeks" should have understood that when the Internet became mainstream we would see the ramifications of the "average Joe" using it. This brings down the rest of us because they simply have no idea about the potential threats or pitfalls of living their lives online. And the more people that hop on board, the more the government gets in a begins regulating, thus making us reminisce about the good old days when the Internet was truly free.

Just be careful you don't get a virus

WOT?

Right up there with having to show it to your employer.

I think that's a creative way for bouncers to check and, per the article, don't disagree as the penalty for letting in underaged kids is stiff. As long as the patron is willing to show the acct on the phone, cool.

I don't have a FB acct, and likely/hopefully never will. I already miss out on various giveaways and contests because of that. Oh well, I never win such things anyway.

I would, however, be very annoyed if not having a F'book acct prevented me from doing something otherwise, like getting into a bar or such. Grrrr.

The article said it was easy to get convincing fake ID. So England doesn't have anything like Real ID? Why don't the bouncers just run the driver's license with a bar code checker...check your fingerprints and all the stuff that is in the Real ID that is now mandated in all states? I have to pay this year to get my perfectly good 8 year driver's license I got just last year exchanged for Real ID driver's license, otherwise, come January I won't be able to fly (because I don't have a current Passport) or enter a federal or state building.

I don't agree with that article saying it is easy to get convincing fake ID. I have to get an orginal birth certificate from the hospital where I was born to show the Driver's license bureau, my social security card to show them, and if I didn't already have a drivers license with my photo then a credit card, etc with photo, my fingerprints that are on file already will be checked again, etc. How can that article say it is easy to fake a Real ID? I thought Britain was more Orwellian than the USA so I am surprised that it is very easy to fake whatever they call Real ID.

"It's claimed that it is to make sure the person is who they say they are and isn't using fake identification."

Ummmm... a fake Facebook account can very easily be created to match the fake ID. So how does it prove anything?

Best question on this topic so far. I don't use FB but lost touch with an ex-neighbor so created a fake account just so I could search for the neighbor. Once I contacted them and got their current email I never used that FB account again and didn't bother recording the login info. Next time I needed to search for someone on FB, I created another fake account... and only used it once.

I think I have about three FB accounts now, not sure because I didn't keep the login infos.

quote:

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Ummmm... a fake Facebook account can very easily be created to match the fake ID. So how does it prove anything?

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Agreed.
It's just like putting up "click if you 18+" pages on the entrance to porn sites, or requiring a credit card number to gain access to adult material.

I think the point is, the person has an ID...could be fake, borrowed from a similar-looking friend, etc...
But the person's phone is almost certainly their own phone. Most all phones seem to have a Facebook app on it. So the bouncer asks the customer to turn on their phone and login to their FB acct...
If that matches what the ID says, it just helps verify who they are...at least, enough to get them into the bar...

We in the UK don`t have to carry id, there was an id card started in 2010 but was canceled, if you drive you have to have your driving licence with you and insurance certificate, the driving licence can be used as a form of id. The problem is a lot of underage kids try to get into clubs and pubs. I don`t agree with bouncers using facebook to identify if these kids are 18 or over.

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Identity cards

The UK National Identity Card and the Identification Card for EEA (European economic area) nationals ceased to be valid legal documents on 21 January 2011.

Cancellation of identity cards

The government began the process of scrapping identity cards by introducing the Identity Documents Bill to Parliament on 26 May 2010. The bill made provision for the cancellation of the UK National Identity Card, the Identification Card for EEA nationals and the destruction of the National Identity Register. This bill has completed the parliamentary process and the Identity Documents Act 2010 received Royal Assent on 21 December 2010.

»www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ag ··· y-cards/

That is interesting. Why is a passport now needed to travel within EU? I thought that wasn't needed.

I went to the website linked and read the article and the FAQ but nothing there gave me a clue as to why the act was rescinded. Why was it?

Exactly the same thing in America. There is no law that forces you to carry ID and you cannot be arrested merely for not having ID. The only exception is if you are operating a motor vehicle -- you must have a driver's license, proof of insurance, and proof of registration (depending on the state you live in). But you do not have to carry ID just to walk down the street.

Another exception is international travel. if you are entering the country (even if you are a U.S. citizen), you have no constitutional rights at the border and are treated as pond scum. They can search and seize your belongings at will and can perform cavity searches of your person at will.. They can confiscate your stuff and are *not* required to give it back. There are still people who have had their laptops confiscated years ago that still have not gotten it back.

And we have had people in Congress trying to force "national ID cards" on us here as well. So far such efforts have not gotten very far. And even if such legislation is passed, I feel confident the courts will strike it down. It's simply unconstitutional to force people to carry ID just to exist. But courts have surprised us all before, thus I wouldn't bet on any government body respecting our rights anymore. "Fighting terrorism" is more important.

What do you mean we don't have a national ID card? Ever tried to cash a check without ID? Ever need to visit a federal or state building? Ever need to fly somewhere? Of course we have a national ID card. It's called Real ID and ALL states are now compliant. The ones that fought it (like Hawaii are now compliant). If you don't drive then you will get your state's Real ID card that is not also a driver's license. Everyone in the nation now who drives will have a RealID drivers license.

Jan 15, 2012 is the last day for states and citizens to be non-compliant. Your current drivers license or state ID card must be replaced (at your expense) before Jan 15 2013 unless you have a current passport or never cash a check, never enter federal or state buildings, never fly, never drive a vehicle and never are asked for valid ID anywhere as a credit card is not considered valid ID, only passport or Real ID (driver's license or state card) will be accepted. Considering that a passport has RFID most folks who don't drive would be better off with a state ID. I think very few states are doing RFID on Real ID drivers license or state id cards.

Ooh, is that now true? Didn't use to be true back when I lived in England. You just used to have to be able to produce them within a week if required.

Also my British driving licence doesn't have a birthdate or photo on it - I still have the old green lineprinter version (probably no longer legal). I notice that's changed now.