What Happens To All That Personal Data Clear Holds? It's Unclear

from the that's-a-problem dept

I have to admit, there was one part of the "Clear" airport "fast pass" program created by Stephen Brill that I never fully understood. In order to join Clear, you had to submit all sorts of personal info -- which raised a lot of questions when the company behind Clear, Verified Identity Pass, lost a laptop with all that data last year. But what's never been clear to me is why this data was needed. If you had a Clear card, it wasn't like you went through any less of a security check. You just got to cut the line. That's it. You still ended up needing to go through the same security check. So why did Verified Identity Pass -- or the Department of Homeland Security who VIP passed the data on to -- need your personal info in the first place?

Either way, that's now raising a lot more questions because no one seems entirely sure what happens to all that data now that the company has gone out of business. While the company insists that airport kiosks and employee computers are being wiped clean, there are still plenty of questions about just who still has access to the data, and what happens to it if someone else buy's up VIP's assets or if the company declares bankruptcy and creditors get access to their assets.

Filed Under: clear, personal info, stephen brill
Companies: verified identify pass

Airport FastPass 'Clear' Shutting Down

from the not-so-speedy-any-more dept

I have some friends who have used Clear, the "verified passenger speedlane" for frequent travelers, that let you basically cut the security line. For the most part, they all loved it. Despite the fact that I do a lot of flying, it never really seemed worth it to me. Plus there were security questions, such as when a laptop containing applicant data got lost last year. Oops. In the end, though, I have to admit almost never seeing anyone making use of the Clear shortcut at the airport, suggesting the private company that operated it wasn't making very much money. That now seems confirmed, as apparently the program is shutting down.

The company's founder, Stephen Brill, has already moved on to his next company -- a misguided attempt to make people pay for online news content. While Brill certainly has a big name reputation, it seems like he's had a lot of companies go sour in a row at this point. There was Brill's Content and then Contentville. Now there's Clear (whose official name was "Verified Identity Pass"). And the whole "iTunes for news" concept seems pretty questionable as well...

Filed Under: airport security, clear, stephen brill
Companies: verified identify pass