All passengers, including those using the CLEAR program, a for-profit initiative to speed up travelers’ transit through airport security checkpoints, will now be obliged to stop and display their identity to TSA officials, according to a recent announcement from the transportation security administration.
Biometric Technology
Similar to the TSA’s PreCheck program, Clear provides travelers with a service with the aim of speeding up the pre-flight screening process and reducing the amount of time spent waiting in line before boarding by obviating the need for TSA to scan their ID cards thanks to its biometric technology. Participants in the program must still take off their shoes and outerwear.
The TSA is quickly extending the use of face recognition technology across the nation as a more secure alternative to CLEAR. The system verifies that a traveler is in possession of a valid boarding pass by comparing their appearance to the photo on a valid ID. By the end of the year, 28 airports will have the technology.
Users of CLEAR, who frequently pay up to $189 annually for the service, will continue to enjoy some benefits like quick access to the front of security lines. Passengers’ opinions on the new ID verification requirement are still varied, though.
Jamie Phillips, a user of CLEAR, stated, “I mean, the whole point of CLEAR is to kind of easily breeze through so it’s just another added step, I might as well go through a regular check.”
Without Valid Identification
Source: cbs News
The action was taken in reaction to recent security lapses where people, including one who was carrying ammunition, were able to pass through TSA checkpoints without showing valid identification. Despite this, none of the occurrences led to unauthorized people getting on airplanes.
The seriousness of the security lapses, according to John Pistole, a former TSA administrator, is enough to “sound the alarm.” “As we all know, if the bad guy is a committed terrorist, all it takes is one of them to bring down a plane. The issue is therefore that, Pistole stated.
The breaches have been acknowledged, and CLEAR has taken action, saying that “two CLEAR employees violated our strict protocols… Security is job one at CLEAR.” Additional personnel got retraining, and the involved employees were fired.
Congress has taken notice of the security lapses after Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson stated that any system that provides less than 100% accuracy has to be reviewed.
