Some UK bouncers are reported to be demanding that club revellers hand over their smartphones so they can check Facebook accounts, BBC reports.
One victim, Charlotte Neal, 20, claimed that she was asked for her phone by bouncers when she showed her driving license. The bouncers just confirmed that her Facebook ID and photo matched her driving licence details then let her through.
“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,” Charlotte said.
Other BBC Newsbeat program listeners also wrote on Facebook and said it had happened to them. Some listeners like Nick Pickles of Big Brother Watch, said he was against the idea of checking Facebook accounts.
“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,” Nick said.
“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,” he added
Some bouncers contacted Newsbeat to defend the idea of checking Facebook profiles arguing that the consequences of letting someone in who’s underage are serious, with the potential for a large fine.
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