Air Travel Privacy Clear Registered Traveler Secure Flight
Airport Security Program Closes Operations - What Happens to the Data?
Verified Identity Pass, a company that provided the Registered Traveler program, under the brand name "Clear" shut down operation on June 22, 2009 citing inability to "negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor." The Clear program provided travelers who had undergone an extensive background check to go through special security lines at airports. The screening process required extensive data collection, including biometric identifiers, from passengers. The closure raises concern about the transfer of the customer data, which may be attached by creditors in a bankruptcy proceeding. Clear's Privacy Policy is silent on the issue. At a 2005 Congressional hearing, EPIC warned that the absence of Privacy Act safeguards would post a security risk to Clear customers. See also EPIC's page on Registered Traveler Card.
June 23, 2009| Share:
