"...assuming you're OK with handing over your biometric identity to a corporation"

[Kaido]

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/clear-airport-security/index.html

Enter Clear, the expedited screening service that whisks its members to the front of the security line. Clear members who also have TSA PreCheck, as I do, get the added value of not having to follow the rules of the standard security line: laptops and liquids out, shoes off.

Just place your fore- and middle fingers on the pad (and don't forget your hand sanitizer) and a Clear representative will announce you to the agent. You flash your boarding pass, and before you know it, you've placed your carry-on luggage on the conveyor belt and are on your way to the gate (where yet another desperate cattle call of anxious and sometimes obnoxious fellow passengers awaits).

...

The sign-up is easy. It can be done in less than 20 minutes, assuming you're OK with handing over your biometric identity to a corporation. You can enroll upon arrival at participating airports; you'll find uniformed Clear representatives standing near a block of kiosks adjacent to the security line.

They'll check your ID, scan your eyes and fingertips, take a picture of your face, and ask you a few questions to confirm you are who you say you are. My enrollment was as seamless a process as I've experienced in an airport.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong with that?

 

[JEDIYoda]

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/clear-airport-security/index.html





I mean, what could possibly go wrong with that?

I will bite....what could possibly go wrong? What choices do you have to say "NO"?

 

[Kaido]

I will bite....what could possibly go wrong? What choices do you have to say "NO"?

Every company with data in the cloud is subject to leaks...the US government, retailers, the financial district, you name it. Except with Clear, you're putting your biometric data in the cloud. The TSA already has their fair share of issues: (don't just skim this article, if you're actually interested in seeing what the real-life problems are)

https://www.engadget.com/2016/05/20/the-tsa-is-failing-spectacularly-at-cybersecurity/

The choice you have is to not sign up for Clear, which is voluntary, requires your biometric data, and costs $180 per year. But, humans are creatures of convenience (Clear offers mega-convenience, if you fly a lot) & are easily distracted by strong personal desires, such as using Face App:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2019/07/17/viral-app-faceapp-now-owns-access-to-more-than-150-million-peoples-faces-and-names/

Social engineering is ridiculous easy these days because most people simply don't care. Very few people actually changed their passwords after Snowden broke his news, for example.

I say this as I have a postcount of 40,000+ on a publicly-accessible social media forum

 

[quikah]

Did something happen to cause a 10year old service to get a news story on CNN? This thing reads like one of those paid for "news stories", but at least those have "Paid Advertisement" disclaimers on them.

I don't really see the appeal, I have never waited more than 10 minutes in the TSA precheck line. /shrug

 

[deadlyapp]

At this point my biometrics are stored on enough different things that I wouldn't be that worried about it, and there is no real surefire way to "duplicate" them (eg fake finger tips and commit a crime). The FBI, ATF, and several state agencies and any sharing agencies would have my fingerprints, as would anyone with global entry or has gone through US passport control.

Honestly, unless you work in some super high security clearance job that uses biometrics for security, I don't see why most people would care - even if their fingerprints were stolen from some unsecured server.

I'm much more comfortable using a fingerprint vs something that someone can exploit more significantly (eg scanned drivers license, social security number, etc)

 

[Kaido]

Did something happen to cause a 10year old service to get a news story on CNN? This thing reads like one of those paid for "news stories", but at least those have "Paid Advertisement" disclaimers on them.

I don't really see the appeal, I have never waited more than 10 minutes in the TSA precheck line. /shrug

I just get there a couple hours early so that the line isn't so bad & so that I'm not in a rush. I've never done pre-check or anything. Granted, I don't fly all that much, but I'd rather just buzz through security & make sure I'm there with time to spare instead of rushing like a madman & then stressing about being in a long security line. Most places have wifi for your laptop, or else you can just read a book or listen to a podcast to kill time. Meh.

 

[JEDIYoda]

n/m

 

[Red Squirrel]

Biometric authentication is actually a stupid idea, it's like having two factor auth except only "something you have" and not "something you know". And that something you have can't change and is the same across all services.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Every company with data in the cloud is subject to leaks...the US government, retailers, the financial district, you name it. Except with Clear, you're putting your biometric data in the cloud. The TSA already has their fair share of issues: (don't just skim this article, if you're actually interested in seeing what the real-life problems are)

https://www.engadget.com/2016/05/20/the-tsa-is-failing-spectacularly-at-cybersecurity/

The choice you have is to not sign up for Clear, which is voluntary, requires your biometric data, and costs $180 per year. But, humans are creatures of convenience (Clear offers mega-convenience, if you fly a lot) & are easily distracted by strong personal desires, such as using Face App:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2019/07/17/viral-app-faceapp-now-owns-access-to-more-than-150-million-peoples-faces-and-names/

Social engineering is ridiculous easy these days because most people simply don't care. Very few people actually changed their passwords after Snowden broke his news, for example.

I say this as I have a postcount of 40,000+ on a publicly-accessible social media forum

What would changing passwords after Snowden's leaks accomplish? He effectively showed it didn't matter what security you personally go for, that the services themselves are compromised. Changing your password won't accomplish jack shit to resolve that.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Clear airport seecurity has been around for years now, this new to you or something?

Personally I find it dumb. Basically it gets you to the front of the ticket-check-in. You still have to go through baggage screening like everyone else. The price is typically ~$100/year if I recall. No thanks, I'll just take TSA Pre-check which renews every 5.

Did something happen to cause a 10year old service to get a news story on CNN? This thing reads like one of those paid for "news stories", but at least those have "Paid Advertisement" disclaimers on them.

I don't really see the appeal, I have never waited more than 10 minutes in the TSA precheck line. /shrug

This.