Clubbing in Fortress Amerika (fwd)

[Karsten M. Self]

on Sat, Oct 20, 2001 at 05:48:44PM -0500, Harmon Seaver
(hseaver at 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 at ix.netcom.com>       http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
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