Wow, you sure got me there. Now, back in the bunker you go.

Just got an email from Clear: Evidently they have gone out of business. All Clear...
 

lanes are shut down now. Assuming this isn't a hoax, it really sucks as I just renewed a month ago! :mad:

Are you quite certain Clear merely made a hash (pun intended) of your iris and fingerprints? How far are you willing to trust this now-defunct company?

Actually, another FTer has already laid the groundwork for a 527 Organization.

Even though it's not DL specific, it appears true.
http://www.flyclear.com/

Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available.

At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations.

What will happen to my personal information?

Applicant and Member data is currently secured in accordance with the Transportation Security Administration’s Security, Privacy and Compliance Standards. Verified Identity Pass, Inc. will continue to secure such information and will take appropriate steps to delete the information.

Will I receive a refund for membership in Clear?

At the present time, because of its financial condition, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. cannot issue refunds.

Okay, let's assume that they didn't. Let's go even further and say they are willing to sell it to anyone who wants it.

What possible harm can it do to me?

I trust the now-defunct Clear company just as much as I trusted the non-defunct Clear company. The amount of trust I have for the company doesn't change because they couldn't sustain the business.

They went out of business, plain and simple. This wasn't a part of some elaborate plan to harvest biometric information. Not to mention the fact that from a purely algorithmic and architectural standpoint, it doesn't make any sense to store images of the fingerprint and iris scans.

You're exactly right. The fact is, many companies have lots of data about us. Any of them can go under at any time, and any of them can be unscrupulous or just plain lazy with their data.

It's a scary world folks! We're all taking risks!

How is it that only the commercial airline industry requires ID checks? How is security improved for domestic transportation by checking ID? If ID checks do contribute to security in some way, why don't busses, subways, trains and ferrys require ID checks? Why don't general aviation charters require ID checks? How about sport venues where 50,000 people could be victimized by a terrorist? Why don't we ID check them too? (and many don't use metal detectors so anything is getting into the game)

International flights still require a passport check during boarding. Fine. I see no security benefit by checking ID for domestic travel.

ID = Security? Who knew?
 

So you're OK with showing ID to government actors (That's a power few cops have until there's reasonable suspicion of illegal activity) to prevent FF program fraud? :confused:


How presumptuous to assume that you speak for the majority here, especially when you go on to sputter nonsense about checking ID's giving added security. I prefer to think for myself and would tend to disregard anything written by anyone who believes that mush.
Please clarify how checking a (frequently home-printed) against a low security picture ID at an unconnected podium adds to airline security in any way. Please also explain how any ID checker will know that the BP shown at the check-point is the same one that will be used to fly.

Yep, government can do this more effectively than a private entity :rolleyes:, so you're happy with the mission creep about how ID and BP are going to have to match exactly? Done by GA's/ done by TDC at the dragnet choke-point doesn't matter, they never know which BP you will actually use to fly, the whole escapade is pointless and the stupidity is evident to all but the most gullible. And the industry has changed completely since "right after 9/11". The idea of the single GA that now runs the gate performing an effective ID check as she boards a full-size plane in the required 20 minutes is preposterous.

Exactly. I can so easily fly on your ticket, even if our gender does not match, that it's patently obvious how pointless the effort expended on ID's matching tickets really is.

Wait.

Are you equally ambivalent about a bankrupt company and their employees taking along your name, address, employer, date of birth, social security number and host of other personal data you turned over to them?

You won't find me arguing that point in here. :cool:

You really have no clue and blindly give your information out - go for it.... GOES is a federal program, and it was CUSTOMs agents you met with, not TSA. TSA has nothing to do with C&I ... they're the screening you'd hit afterwards, if you're connecting once you return to US soil.

I disagree with any method by virtue of paying money, you get to bypass others going through the same line (e.g. HOT lanes). Premium lines are not the same, as those people (and yes, I qualify with elite status) more often than not, have the process down and are processed significantly more quickly through the line. TSA wants to shoot those down in favor of the "black" lines which are useless but that rant belongs in an entirely different thread.

Yep, we know, you're going to scan the bar codes with an airline connected scanner. But what if I have another BP that I really intend to use? Go ahead; scan that CRC gate pass all day. Check my fully refundable ticket BP at one of those beloved gate dragnets; proves nothing; accomplishes less.