on Sat, Oct 20, 2001 at 05:48:44PM -0500, Harmon Seaver (hseaver@cybershamanix.com) wrote:
"Dr. Evil" wrote:
Do different states use different formats for the data on the magstrip?
Do all states even have magstrips?
You know, I never even realized until right now that my DL has a mag strip. This is a new thing for WI, I think. Pretty sure my recent MN didn't have one. I guess the more interesting thing would be, before wiping it out, to figure out a way to read it.
http://www.google.com/search?q=drivers+license+magnetic+stripe California, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin, notably. See also: http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/13.18.html [From California SB 1447, 1992, the "Privacy Act of 1992"] SECTION 2: INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM DRIVER'S LICENSES This section requires the written consent of a consumer for a business entity to (1) sell information obtained from the consumer's driver's license or (2) use such information to advertise goods or services. The section is intended to cover instances where a consumer presents a driver's license or identification card for identification purposes during a business transaction. The section is not intended to prevent businesses from using driver's license information for business record-keeping, or for other purposes related to the transaction (i.e. authorizing a transaction). The section is not intended to change existing law with respect to the ability of businesses to obtain driver's license information from other sources (such as DMV records). The need for this section is heightened by the new "magstripe" drivers license developed by the Department of Motor Vehicles. This license has a magnetic stripe on the back which contains much of the information on the front of the license. The stripe will enable a business entity to store information contained on a driver's license simply by scanning the card through a reader. A publication by the Department of Motor Vehicles dated May 1991 ("Department of Motor Vehicles Magnetic Stripe Drivers License/Identification Card") states that "using point of sale (POS) readers and printers, the business community can electronically record the DL [driver's license] /ID number on receipts and business records." The publication notes that "magnetic stripe readers are readily available, relatively low in cost, and are already available in many retail outlets." However, a merchant might access much more than the driver's license/ID number; the publication notes that "readers have been produced, and market available readers can be modified that will read the three tracks of information contained on the California card." According to the publication, the tracks contain information such as license type, name, address, sex, hair-color, eye-color, height, weight, restrictions, issue date. Peace. -- Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com> http://kmself.home.netcom.com/ What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand? Home of the brave http://gestalt-system.sourceforge.net/ Land of the free Free Dmitry! Boycott Adobe! Repeal the DMCA! http://www.freesklyarov.org Geek for Hire http://kmself.home.netcom.com/resume.html [demime 0.97c removed an attachment of type application/pgp-signature]