New York State Senator Wants Biometric Digital ID Scans For Alcohol and Tobacco Purchases

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Biometric systems may soon take over traditional ID checks for tobacco and liquor purchases in The Empire State, if a bill proposed by New York State Senator James Skoufis gains traction. Far from stepping on the brakes in response to the rapid pace of privacy-invading technologies, Skoufis claims his proposal would spark innovation and serve the public’s need for convenience. The bill, first introduced in 2021, advocates using face, palm, or fingerprint scans as valid means of age-verification when procuring age-restricted items like alcohol or tobacco. Skoufis underlines that a successful implementation of this advanced technology will establish New York as a leading state in technological innovation. Skoufis points to examples where biometrics have improved operational efficiency: stadiums in Seattle verifying patrons’ age and payment for alcoholic beverages via fingerprint scans; the Transportation Security Administration leveraging facial recognition for checking passenger identities at several US airports. According to Skoufis, these systems have proven effective with “no hiccups.” The proposed bill has anticipated the inevitable privacy uproar, providing for data encryption and a total ban on selling collected biometric data to third parties. However, as reported by State Scoop, the silence of the bill concerning specifics such as data storage and retention duration has raised doubts among privacy professionals, including Cobun Zweifel-Keegan, managing director at the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Zweifel-Keegan warns of the potential violation to customers’ anonymity as, unlike the conventional retail…New York State Senator Wants Biometric Digital ID Scans For Alcohol and Tobacco Purchases