Missouri House Passes Biometric Alcohol Purchase Bill

Proposed legislation in Missouri – HB 2599 sponsored by Republican Representative Jeff Farnan – has passed the state House and is now under Senate consideration. The bill introduces the use of biometric methods, such as facial recognition, palm, and iris scanning, to verify the age of individuals purchasing alcohol.

However, these biometric scans can only be utilized if the customer has already supplied a valid government-issued ID to a biometric verification vendor.

Under the legislation, customers would need to first have their driver’s license or another form of ID scanned and verified by a specific vendor, such as CLEAR or Amazon. This verified information would then allow them to use biometric scans at any participating retailer without needing to repeatedly present a physical ID. This approach is posited as a more effective solution to combat the use of fake IDs and is also seen as more convenient for customers.

Despite the benefits outlined by proponents, including a more modern approach to age verification in alcohol sales and reduced operational burdens for businesses, the bill has raised privacy concerns. The proposed system would allow vendors to store and potentially sell the biometric data they collect, provided they have the customer’s consent. That having been said, customers can opt out and request the deletion of their data from the system.

The bill also mandates that retailers must continue to accept traditional physical IDs and does not obligate any retailer to adopt the biometric system.

The passage of the bill by a vote of 86-53 reflects a move towards integrating more technological solutions into regulatory frameworks while attempting to balance innovation with consumer rights protections. The discussion now moves to the Missouri Senate, where the future of biometric age verification in alcohol sales will be further debated.

Source: Maryville Forum

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May 8, 2024 – by Cass Kennedy