All Clear members will be emailed a link that will allow them to create a one-time password and verify their phone number. Users will then be prompted to bring an approved ID to the airport to show to a Clear employee the next time they fly. A driver’s license, state ID, and passport are all ok, but the company says that a passport allows for the fastest processing. At the airport, travelers show their documents to a Clear representative, who will submit their new photo at an enrollment pod and finish updating their account.
The future of facial recognition in airports
The Clear lane isn’t the only place you’ll find facial recognition technology being used at airports in the future. The TSA has tested the technology at security kiosks at 16 airports with goals to expand it to more than 400 airports over the next few years. Customs and Border Protection uses the technology for arriving passengers at all international airports across the country, under a program known as “Simplified Arrival.” CBP has also deployed facial biometrics into the exit process at 38 airports so far.
While facial recognition may decrease the time travelers spend waiting in lines, the government’s increased use of the technology at airports has sparked privacy concerns among travelers—and Congress. In November, six US Senators introduced the bipartisan Traveler Privacy Protection Act, which would ban the TSA from using facial recognition technology and collecting facial biometric data in US airports. Travelers have the option to opt out of the TSA’s facial recognition system, according to the agency’s website.
Clear’s shift toward the technology comes as the company faces increased scrutiny due to two security breaches first reported by Politico this summer. A Clear spokesperson told the outlet in August that the incidents “had nothing to do with our biometric system and were the result of an ambassador not following our strict protocols after which we took immediate action.”
Following the incidents, TSA began requiring a percentage of Clear members to undergo physical ID checks—an added step that some travelers say defeats the purpose of the membership.
“Security is job one at Clear, and our track record shows that biometrics are the strongest form of identity at the airport checkpoint,” a Clear spokesperson told Traveler in an emailed statement. “Since starting operations under the Registered Traveler program over 13 years ago, we are proud to have securely verified 150 million passengers.”
In the near future, Clear’s new facial recognition system will electronically transmit members’ digital identities to TSA’s second-generation Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2) scanners, Clear says.
Random ID checks for Clear members don’t appear to be ending anytime soon. “The rate at which the random ID checks occur has varied over the years based on a number of factors, similar to TSA’s own practice of randomization in their screening activities,” Clear says.
