http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/15/smartcard_and_database_to_track_smokers/
Oz boffin wants smartcards and database to track smokers
Swipe when you buy a pack so government can email and tell you to quit
Chapman’s proposed licence would see smokers issued a smartcard, without which it would be impossible to buy cigarettes. Purchases would not be possible without swiping that card at point of sale.
Registration for the licence would be online, as this would allow the government to capture and email address and, by monitoring cigarette purchasing habits, send smokers emails prompting them to quit.
While the ethical merits of this idea are well and truly up for grabs, it is worth noting that Australia’s Northern Territory has already done something rather similar, in the form of a Banned Drinkers Registry aimed at preventing alcoholics from drinking in public. The scheme saw all buyers of take-away alcohol compelled to present identification – usually a driver’s licence - at the point of sale. Buyers on the banned list were denied service.