No ID, No Entry -- SEOne Cub

I just read an article on 'The register' apparently the SEOne Club have a 'No ID, No Entry policy... not only do you need to provide photo ID but they scan and store an image of the ID for 31 days.

Maybe I'm getting old but it seems pretty sad that you have to have photo ID before you can get into a club!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/12/id_scanner/

We are getting old, which is why we need to oppose ID cards and the http://www.no2id.net/dbstate, so that our children can enjoy the freedoms we enjoyed, and our parents fought for.

I think most clubs have a photo id policy.I'm normally with the civil liberties group on this,but in light of the man who was shot dead outside the SEone club and the young man beaten into a critical condition.This particular club needs strict monitoring,I'm amazed its licence isn't under review

The SEOne has been losing business as a result of this measure. Luminopolis (formerly the Synergy Project), the indoor mini festival cancelled their last event here in April and are looking for a new venue as 'we have grave concerns about the creeping loss of privacy that ID cards represent - the campaigning group NO2ID is one of the many NGOs that have attended our events, and we support their position wholly. We don't want our magical event to become a component part of the intrusive database state.'

A shame because it's a great venue...

I think I read something very similar recently....
If I remember correctly it was the bars (or some) in Croydon that operate exactly the same photo ID policy.

And yes, I find this totally scary a tendency - even though I don't have anything to hide!
Why should the minority who do wrong impact so heavy on those of us (I guess that's the majority) who don't do wrong? Isn't this 'punishing' the wrong people?

Surely this utter uber control non-sense can't be the solution to crime. Does it really prevent crime or does it just push it to another corner where there is no street lighting and no CCTV?

Nigel - As I understand it, this requirement was placed on the club by the police as part of a license review late last year. It's sort of a step beyond the blanket requirement the Met had on pubs in Islington having to fit CCTV in order to get a license (which they backed down on when asked to justify it).

TAK - I don't know whether it reduces or displaces crime, but it seems to introduce the possibility of enabling more crime, without really reducing it.

Real villains will simply carry false ID. I understand it's not too hard to get hold of, so I don't see how this would deter them.

Further, how safe do you think your scanned personal details will be, kept on a portable device in a night club? It strikes me as a near certainty that this data will leak from some club or other and be used for ID theft.

Also, if people know you have just entered a club, you are likely to be there for some time and not at home, leading to further possibilities.

I've got no problem with doormen needing to look at photo ID to verify my age (although they could just look at my face to know I'm more than 21; you don't get to look like this without a lot more experience than that). It's the scanning and retention I don't like.

nigel wrote:

I think most clubs have a photo id policy.I'm normally with the civil liberties group on this,but in light of the man who was shot dead outside the SEone club and the young man beaten into a critical condition.This particular club needs strict monitoring,I'm amazed its licence isn't under review

There's a keyword relating to both those crimes... "Outside".. I don't see the logic of this measure as it presumes that everyone who might undertake some act of violence will enter the club.

See also this in relation to Shunt Vaults -
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/information_relating_to_shunt_lo

There have been quite a few deaths/assaults associated with the SEOne club in recent years I seem to remember. Weren't there multiple deaths there one evening a few years ago from contaminated drugs?

is it not a peculiar security measure for SEONe because they are essentially under a railway station?