Geekly Update - 17 August 2016

Proposed Alabama Beer Rule Prompts Privacy Concerns
By JAY REEVES, ASSOCIATED PRESS MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Aug 5, 2016, 12:42 PM ET
Alabama's alcohol regulators want to know who is buying beer from one of the state's craft breweries and taking it home to drink.

The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is considering a new rule that would require brewers to collect the name, address, age and phone number from anyone who purchases beer at a brewery for off-premise consumption.

Industry groups are crying foul over the proposed regulation, which they say is an invasion of privacy. They also say it would be a logistical nightmare to collect the information.

"As nonsensical as it might seem, this rule would essentially empower the ABC Board to come to an individual's house to confirm his or her purchase of a six pack of beer," said a statement by Nick Hudson of Free The Hops, a group that has campaigned to increase craft brewing to the conservative, Bible Belt state.

The Alabama Brewers Guild, composed of the state's roughly two dozen breweries and brewpubs, said collecting the information would be an administrative nightmare and could pose concerns not just over privacy but also about potential data breaches and governmental use of the information.

"I'm honestly not sure they thought it out very well," said Guild executive director Dan Roberts.

The ABC hasn't publicly explained why it wants detailed personal information about beer purchasers, and officials did not return a message seeking comment on reasons for the rule, which will be considered by the board on Sept. 28.

Roberts said the agency told him the information would be used to verify enforcement of the state's 288-ounce limit on the amount of brew anyone can purchase at one time. Breweries would have to come up with a way to gather the information and deal with customers who don't want such information in the government's hands.

"It's a huge deal logistically. Also, there are purchasers who just won't do it. They'd go to Publix instead of buying at a brewery," he said.

The proposed rule follows a law that took effect June 1 allowing the state's craft breweries to sell six packs, large bottles and other containers of beer directly to consumers, subject to a limit on quantity.

While Alabama and other states require identification to prove the age of someone purchasing alcohol, Roberts said he knows of no other state that collects information about consumers.

To me, this sounds like some Alabama legislatures need to be fired.

At&T's prediction about ‘tucking the baby in from a phone booth’ is like predicting “auto-correct” capability for a typewriter!
I think it would've served AT&T better if they only tried to predict their own future, where they are no longer the alpha dog!
I finally washed my hands free of AT&T and I don't regret it one bit!

At&T's prediction about ‘tucking the baby in from a phone booth’ is like predicting “auto-correct” capability for a typewriter!
I think it would've served AT&T better if they only tried to predict their own future, where they are no longer the alpha dog!
I finally washed my hands free of AT&T and I don't regret it one bit!

What astonished me is how sheepish people act around execution of drinking laws altogether. When one travels to Europe, nobody and nowhere checks IDs selling booze. Not a single place. In Canada youth can drink at 18 and they don't have drinking problems. Maybe too much control isn't the way to go. Yet I see people handing their documents to civilians, that have no business looking into personal data, just because the law makers had a genius idea that this is the best way. Nobody even notice, how ridiculously abusive, yet ineffective this way is. We just stupidly and obediently hand out our IDs.

If you use a password database program such as Keepass or Lastpass then there is no need to create variations of your original password because you do not have to remember them in the first place. Just open the password database using a known single master password and then copy and paste and/or generate new passwords as needed.

I was stationed at Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Al. in the early 70's and the Alabama laws about alcohol purchases were strange and alien to a Hoosier born boy. Now, they're even more strange.?! What about the folks hiding out on the back sides of the Blue Ridge Mountains who make shine? And I met a few back in the woods around Madkin Mt. The Alabama ABC can go pee up a weed!

As interesting as the Alabama beer article was, I am very concerned about the actions of Darcetha who felt the need to copy and past the entire article in the comments section. It has been long known, as people are saying, that when you copy and paste in that needless manner that somewhere in the world a kitten immediatly dies.

In PA, every time I buy a 12 pack of beer at the local Weis Markets, they scan my driver's license. Even my 79 year old Dad had his license scanned when he purchased a 6 pack of NA beer!
Ridiculous. Another example of Too Much Information being collected.