While visiting Italy I've had the hotel photocopy my ID. I've researched and the legal requirement for the hotel is to fill a form on the police website, nothing more. While doing the checkout I've pressed them on the reason for keeping the photocopy ("is it for identity theft? "), the duration they were going to keep the copy etc. Basic info they were bound to disclose because of GDPR _before_ the data processing, which of course never happened.

Turns out the local policemen asked verbally to make photocopies, just in case... The hotel is more afraid of the local police than of it's clients, so they just do it.

Since I was the only client who ever asked about it, and gaslighting me wasn't going to work ("everybody does it! what do you have to hide?"), they just gave me the copy to destroy.

Other places copy IDs because they're lazy and don't want to compile the required form on the spot. Not to mention ID photocopies floating around the reception desk in plain sight...