Is Clear worth anything at all?

I received an interesting phone call this afternoon. It was from Ellen Howe of the Transportation Security Administration, regarding my blog post on Monday titled "Is Clear a present danger for football fans?"

Howe wanted to correct an error I made. It seems that TSA is no longer running background checks on applicants for the Clear Registered Traveler program managed by Verified Identity Pass, Inc. (VIP).

I made that mistake based on statements on the Clear website and in local news coverage of the new Clear lanes at San Francisco 49ers games.

The Clear card

(Credit: Verified Identity Pass)

Howe said that as for the other issues I raised in my original post, I was "on track with what (I) said," so that was good to hear.

Clear's site still carries many press releases describing the background-check step in its application process, and I can't find any mention there of the termination of this process, which Howe says took effect at the end of July. I found the official notice of the change in the Federal Register for July 30.

Clear's "About" page still says "Clear members are pre-screened," but that's no longer true in any meaningful way.

The only thing Clear does now is checking each applicant's government-issued IDs before generating the Clear card from the applicant's biometric data. Clear knows you're you-- but no longer knows if you're any more trustworthy than anyone else.

Why does VIP allow this misunderstanding to persist? Well, it certainly makes the company and its services look more valuable. That statement about pre-screening also appears in the August 20 press release from Clear announcing that it has received $44.4 million in additional venture funding. I hope the investors learned the truth before transferring their funds.

This change only reinforces my previous conclusions. There is now no reason for security personnel-- at an airport, a sporting event, or anywhere else-- to give any special treatment to Clear members. (That said, I wouldn't criticize anyone for taking advantage of this special treatment. I've often thought about getting a Clear card myself, though I never have.)

So as of now, the Clear service is nothing more than a way to skip to the front of security lines in return for paying a $128 annual fee. That doesn't seem right to me unless the money serves to improve the screening process, but I haven't seen any evidence that this is happening.

[mbenedict]

I read your other article and to me both articles completely misses the point. Whether or not the TSA does the background checks is irrelevant. Whether Clear is only used in airports or also for football games is irrelevant.

There are much bigger questions to ask. Security is not only about records or data or even technology. I would never use Clear because I know nothing about their internal security processes.

For example, Clear expects customers to provide them with biometric data (iris and fingerprint capture.) This has huge privacy and security implications, if their systems and processes and security governance practices are not sound.

Can a hacker steal my biometric information? Are they stored encrypted? Are Clear systems subject to penetration tests? Who does physical assessments of Clear's kiosks and offices and data centers? Does Clear conduct internal and/or external audits? How often and by whom? Who will Clear share my data with? Can a terrorist insert his own info into Clear's database?

If my biometric data can be compromised, then I couldn't care less if a line of football fans at a 49rs game is less secure than some other line of drunk fans at the same game.

[Peter Glaskowsky]

Well, there are privacy issues for individuals, and security issues for the public at large. It's kinda nuts to say that only one set of issues is worth talking about.

You can at least go to the flyclear.com site and check out their privacy policy for answers to some of your questions.

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[neowolfwitch]

A friend of mine and I were having a discussion about this a couple of weeks ago. He is a frequent business traveler and I asked him if he used Clear. He said "Why would I? I already have Platinum or Premier frequent flier status with most of the airlines, and almost all of the airports I go to have express Security lanes {for me}."

I personally am bothered by the fact that they (Clear) would have biometric data about me, which odds-are could be compromised at some point. I really wouldn't doubt it if a hacker somewhere hasn't already reverse-engineered their smart card and is working on the surrounding systems. I have a lot more confidence in the TSA staff actually checking IDs than I do in Clear. Thankfully they still have to go through the remainder of security.

I guess I've been lucky in my air travels- I don't believe I've ever spent more than 10 minutes in line at Security, and seldom more than 5. That time isn't worth $128 and some "faceless corporation" having as much information about me as the FBI does.