Arizonans are now able to purchase alcohol using a new smartphone app as identification at participating bars and retailers
The state-approved app provides an added layer of security by not displaying address or date of birth information, but it’s not clear how many establishments are set up to use it.
The Smart ID Verifier app, created through a partnership between the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division and the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, presents only a customer’s photo and the words “Over 21,” provided the holder is of age. The app will not show any of the personal information a driver’s license would, such as the bearer’s date of birth or address.
The app is intended to be a “more secure and private way to present identification,” ADOT MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said in a news release.
Two smart devices are required to use the system: one for the customer and one for the employee attempting to verify ID. The employee’s device scans the information on the customer’s device and shows a green check mark if verification is successful. The app is available for both Google and Apple devices, though it is only available for iPhones with iOS 17.0 or later.
If a retailer or bar wants to begin participating, they are able to download the app on their own, so there is no official list of participating businesses, said Arizona DLLC spokesperson Filbert Barrea.
Barrera said the app will be useful in providing a log of customers served to the DLLC should they need to investigate a bar or liquor store.
“When there’s an establishment that has a liquor license, they have an obligation to provide evidence that they’re checking identification, or when they’re checking identification,” Barrera said. “And in this way, if there’s a case where they’re having a lot of issues with people who are being either over served or are underage, and we get complaints, we can ask them for their log if they’re using the app, so they can prove to us that they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
The benefit to consumers is a better-protected transaction during which their personal information is not visible, Barrera said.
The digital log is encrypted and sent directly to the DLLC, so the establishment will not be able to view customers’ personal data.
“I think that anytime that you have any type of transaction, there is a possibility that people could have their information taken or misused,” Barrera said.