A controversial bar security system developed in the Lower Mainland has arrived in Prince George.
Shooters Sports Bar on Ospika Boulevard is using the TreoScope EnterSafe system to photograph customers and scan their drivers' license as they enter the bar.
The system records the name, gender, date of birth, first three digits of the patron's postal code and a photo of the customer, then checks that information against TreoScope's patron database.
Bar operators are able to make notes on a patron's profile indicating problem behavoiurs or designating them a VIP customer.
When this reporter entered the bar on Friday, Aug. 12 around 10:30 p.m., security staff instructions included handing over a drivers' license and standing in front of an 'X' taped on the wall to have a photo taken.
Use of the image was not voluntarily explained, however a small sign on the exterior door of the bar informed patrons that all people entering the bar are required to show ID for safety purposes.
Shooters Sports Bar owner George "Jordie" Hoover did not return multiple phone calls.
B.C. Civil Liberties Association policy director Micheal Vonn said the association has received over a dozen complaints about the systems in B.C. - primarily from the Lower Mainland.
"On the surface level is this an invasion of privacy, absolutely. What privacy commissioners across Canada have said about bar surveillance - and make no mistake, this is surveillance - is that is should be the last resort," Vonn said.
"If there are effective means to control the problem that mean a lesser invasion of privacy, those should be looked at first."
In August, 2009 B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis wrote a consultation letter setting out restrictions for the use of the systems in B.C. after a five-year investigation. Loukidelis restricted the what data can be collected and required that information to be deleted within 24-hours unless the person is involved in a violent incident.
Loukidelis also ruled that postal code information should be used only to generate reports giving general demographic information about bar patrons.
Vonn said one of the serious concerns about this type of ruling is there is little way to ensure it is actually being followed.
"As some level, when your information is going into a database... you saying 'Trust us, we will do what we promised,'" Vonn said.
"An audit of a system like this is very rare. The problem is our oversight mechanism is compliant driven. We don't have an enforcement system with the resources to do spot audits. That's an inherent flaw in the system."
For now bar patrons can choose to go to other establishments, he said, but if the systems become the industry standard consumers may be left with no alternatives.
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner did not provide comment as of press time.
System creator responds
TreoScope president and founder Owen Cameron said people should be cautious about who they give their personal information to. That's why TreoScope takes very strong precautions to ensure the privacy and security of personal information.
"In the age of social media, we're taking less information than most people give out themselves," Cameron said. "Even in the phonebook you can get more information about people than we take."
The data from TreoScope's system cannot be transferred from the system to other mediums, Cameron added. Law enforcement agencies wanting to view the information require a court order to access it, he added.
"Our software is completely locked down, our clients can't access the information," he said.
If a patron has a complaint about the use of their information or what a bar operator may have placed on their profile, they can contact TreoScope to request a copy of their personal information.
"The bar can't hide what they've done. We can see every move they make [on the system]," Cameron said.
Cameron said he was inspired to create the system after a friend had her drink tampered with at a bar. The goal of the system is to make bars and nightclubs a safer place, he said, and it's working.
"The RCMP in Naniamo recorded a drop in calls [to bars] of 32 per cent in the six months since we came in," Cameron said.
"We've seen huge decreases in problems at some really troubled bars. The liquor board said they've ordered us, by name, as a condition for some liquor licenses."
There is simply no financial incentive for his company to sell or misuse the personal data it records, he said.
"What would be the incentive for me, as a business person... to risk that?"
TreoScope has expanded from the Lower Mainland into Canada, the U.S. and now Australia, based on the security of its system, he said.
