James Delahunty
3 May 2012 20:54
Facebook profiles serving as proof of identity.
The bouncers have reportedly asked people to show them their Facebook profiles on their smartphones if they suspect that a fake I.D. is being used.
"I kind of just logged onto it [Facebook] and showed him the screen and then he didn't question it any further," Charlotte Neal, 20, told BBC's Newsbeat. "When it happened the first time I didn't really think anything of it. Then I thought, 'Hang on, is this really how you're supposed to check how old I am?' But I was out and I wanted to get in the club so I just agreed."
The Newsbeat website also mentions other similar reports througout the UK. It brings up some questions about basic privacy rights, and how they must be balanced with ensuring that a minor does not trick his/her way into a nightclub using a fake ID card.
One doorman questioned by Newsbeat said that there is a fine of £5,000 for a bouncer who is found to have left an underage individual into a nightclub. "Why is it so wrong for people to have to prove the ID is actually them? If you're not doing anything wrong you shouldn't have a problem," he said.
A bar owner called Chris also told Newsbeat that checking phones with the consent of the individual is a more certain way to determine if a suspicious ID is actually real.
Campaign group Big Brother Watch is not impressed with the new practice. "Not only is it ridiculous from a security point of view, it's an affront to the basic rights of people to be able to live their lives in private," said the group's Nick Pickles.
"If the problem is that people haven't got good enough quality IDs, then let's make sure they do have good enough quality IDs. This shouldn't be an excuse for nightclubs to snoop and pry into people's private lives."