Salazar said handing over the information is also risky for consumers who don’t know they are protected by Florida law.įlorida law says private entities may not swipe an individual’s driver license except to: “Maintaining that information for businesses, unless it’s absolutely an essential part of their business, is a risk.” It’s a first stepping stone to commit identity theft,” Salazar said. “What are they doing with this information? Whose using that information? Who will have access to that information? Is that information being cloned? Is it secure?” Gonzalez questioned.Ĭyber security attorney Luis Salazar said the information that’s extracted is exactly what identity thieves need. “We can collect as much or as less as you want,” Zagami said.Ģ9 Cuban Migrants on ‘Rustic' Boat Make Landfall in Florida Keysīut security experts say the way institutions are collecting and storing that information is what could put consumers at risk. He says it’s up to companies to decide what information they want to extract. “It brought up all of my information,” Zagami said.
He showed NBC6 how computers pull the data instantly from the driver’s license. With just a swipe of your ID, computers can pull your personal information from it giving it to the companies and facilities you visit, including your date of birth, address, height and weight.Īnthony Zagami, the CEO of Sisco, developed the technology knowing that businesses needed to know who is accessing their building to keep people safe. “We don’t know if that information will be misused against us,” said Silka Gonzalez, president of Enterprise Risk Management.īusinesses use the scanning technology to try to verify who is really going into their buildings. But security experts warn that having your ID scanned through those magnetic strip readers could be putting you at risk for identity theft. She said, marketing purposes, and more likely micro marketing.At schools, hospitals and even cruise ships, you’ll likely turn over your driver’s license to security without a second thought. I asked her, in her opinion, why would any company scan the back of your license. She says the opportunity is not direct but that could happen.Īgain, Walgreens denies collecting, storing or selling any data, but privacy attorney and Ronald Oister remain skeptical. Oister calls what Walgreens is doing 'ridiculous'.Ībout all that private information that may or may not be collected? Attorney Seay says if companies were so inclined they could use what info they collect from your license to retrieve additional personal information, including your birth certificate, social security number and various documents filed with the state. He points out that after he bought cigarettes at the store he received his usual number of spam emails, but many were from medical supply companies. Oister, who was and is involved in several online businesses, believes Walgreens is gathering and selling information for marketing purposes. In 2011 the state of California sued Walgreens for selling medical information gleaned from patient prescriptions and, according to the lawsuit, selling that info to dating mining firms which then resold that info to pharmaceutical companies. But it has been accused of doing so in the past. Phil Caruso, a spokesman for Walgreens, says the drug store chain only scans the back of customer licenses to verify the customer's age and Walgreens never collects, stores or sells that information. Have you even been a sexual offender, are you a safe driver, and so on. Seay says it could show whether or not you are a fisherman or a boater. But it is also legal to add additional informational personal information, all of which could create a very specific profile of who you are. The back of a Florida driver’s licenses contain the same information as the front. She says, not only is it against federal law, but the only reason to scan a license is to gather information besides age. Pamella Seay, a First Amendment attorney and professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, says that is inaccurate. It's something the store manager, who is called over, confirms. Cashiers are now required to scan the back of driver’s licenses or refuse to sell you cigarettes, beer or wine. The Walgreens, at the corner of Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard in North Naples, is like all other Walgreens in the state. The license is then scanned with the same scanner the cashier uses to check out customers. Fox 4 has some interesting video, going undercover to videotape a 76-year-old man attempting to buy cigarettes at his local Walgreens.Įven though he is clearly over the age of 18, the required age to purchase cigarettes in the state, he is asked to hand over his driver’s license to prove it.