CLEAR | |
Formerly |
|
Company type | Public |
NYSE: YOU | |
Industry | Identity verification |
Founded | 2010 |
Founders |
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Headquarters | Manhattan, , United States of America |
Number of locations | 55+ airports, stadiums, and other venues (2024) |
Area served | United States |
Products |
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Services |
|
Revenue | US$437 million (2022) |
US$−66 million (2022) | |
Total assets | US$1.04 billion (2022) |
Total equity | US$511 million (2022) |
Number of employees | 3,056 (December 2022) |
Website | clearme |
Footnotes /references [1] |
Clear Secure, Inc. (operating as: CLEAR) is an American technology company that operates biometric travel document verification systems at some major airports and stadiums.
Steven Brill and Ajay Amlani were original owners of Clear, a subsidiary of Verified Identity Pass, founded in 2003. Ajay Amlani left the company in 2006 to pursue another identity technology company named YOU Technology. Steven Brill stepped away from the company in 2008. [2] Clear shut down in 2009 after filing for bankruptcy. [3]
Caryn Seidman-Becker purchased CLEAR out of bankruptcy in 2010 with her partner and co-founder Ken Cornick. They relaunched the company in 2012. Clear operates out of its headquarters in Manhattan, New York. [4]
In 2021, Clear went public as Clear Secure, Inc. on the NYSE with the ticker symbol ‘YOU’. [5]
In January 2023, Clear celebrated the launch of security lanes at its 50th airport, Raleigh-Durham International Airport. [6] It followed that up with new lanes at Kansas City International Airport at the end of February 2023. [7]
In May 2024, Clear launched lanes at Maui's Kahului Airport, its 57th airport location. It also said it was planning to follow the launch up shortly with new lanes at Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. [8]
In 2022, Clear's verification service allowed an airline passenger using a false identity to pass through its system; the passenger was also found by the TSA to be carrying ammunition. [9] The company noted in a formal statement that it was due to "a single human error". The program's facial-recognition system for enrolling new customers was also noted as sometimes relying on inadequate photos such as the chin or shoulder. [10]
Two incidents occurred in 2023 where individuals not enrolled in the company's security program were escorted through a TSA security checkpoint without having presented their identification. One of the incidents involved a passenger who had used a boarding pass that was picked out of a trash bin. [11]
The incidents have gathered the attention of the House Homeland Security Committee, with members Bennie Thompson and John Katko in December 2022 requesting that the TSA require all passengers, including those using Clear, have their ID verified by TSA. In August 2023 TSA advised the company and participating airports to increase the number of IDs to be checked by a TSA officer. [12]
The company has received patents for "physical token-less security screening using biometrics", which allows a person to be identified using their individual and distinctive biometric identity that the company creates. [13] The company has been successful in filing and receiving several patents throughout the years. On February 4, 2020, the company was granted the ability to ticket people through their biometric identities. Prior to this patent, the company was also granted two patents on January 14, 2020, to conduct pre-identification before an individual approached the stationed device and to use individual biometric identities to expedite interactions with people in the close vicinity. To simplify and expedite the process even further, on December 31, 2019, the company was granted a patent to use mobile devices in enrolling into the system.
CLEAR has partnerships with the European company Oberthur Technologies. Oberthur provides CLEAR with identification cards encoded with information that is beyond a normal ID card. They follow the NIST standard FIPS 201 (Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 201) for Personal Identity Verification (PIV), a requirement for all U.S. government employees and contractors. [14]
In June 2012, CLEAR received certification under the SAFETY Act (Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002) by the United States Department of Homeland Security. [15] [16]
CLEAR has partnerships with airlines and stadiums. The airline currently partners with Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Alaska Airlines. [17] [18] [19] This includes partnerships with Major League Baseball and National Football League. [20] [21] CLEAR has also partnered with Lyft which grants people a 3-month free trial to test out CLEAR and gives them a $20 voucher for Lyft customers to use towards a trip to any airport. [22]
In April 2023, CLEAR began offering digital identity verification services for LinkedIn users. [23] "Verified" users are able to display a green and blue checkmark on their profile. [24]
CLEAR had a former partnership with car rental company Hertz, until the company declared bankruptcy. [25] [26]
CLEAR is a member of the FIDO Alliance [27] and the CARIN Alliance. [28]
The company charges its customers $189 per year for a premium program named CLEAR Plus, however, it can be lowered if the user is a member of Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus, or holds an American Express Centurion, Platinum, or Green Card. This Membership allows them to skip past long lines, no matter if they are at a stadium, an arena, or an airport. [29] By expanding and diversifying their locations, CLEAR also receives additional revenue from sports teams, who pay licensing fees. [30]
In June 2019, Clear CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker and President Ken Cornick were given the 2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award for the New York Region. [31]
After the September 11 attacks, there was an immediate call to action regarding the state of aviation security measures as the hijackers involved in 9/11 were able to successfully pass through security and take command of the plane. The existing security measures flagged more than half of the 19 hijackers in 9/11; however, they were cleared to board the plane because their bags were not found to contain any explosives. In the months and years following September 11, 2001, security at many airports worldwide were reformed to deter similar terrorist plots.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has authority over the security of transportation systems within, and connecting to, the United States. It was created as a response to the September 11 attacks to improve airport security procedures and consolidate air travel security under a combined federal law enforcement and regulatory agency.
Airport security includes the techniques and methods used in an attempt to protect passengers, staff, aircraft, and airport property from malicious harm, crime, terrorism, and other threats.
Iris recognition is an automated method of biometric identification that uses mathematical pattern-recognition techniques on video images of one or both of the irises of an individual's eyes, whose complex patterns are unique, stable, and can be seen from some distance. The discriminating powers of all biometric technologies depend on the amount of entropy they are able to encode and use in matching. Iris recognition is exceptional in this regard, enabling the avoidance of "collisions" even in cross-comparisons across massive populations. Its major limitation is that image acquisition from distances greater than a meter or two, or without cooperation, can be very difficult. However, the technology is in development and iris recognition can be accomplished from even up to 10 meters away or in a live camera feed.
The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS) is a counter-terrorism system in place in the United States air travel industry that matches passenger information with other data sources. The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) maintains a watchlist, pursuant to 49 USC § 114 (h)(2), of "individuals known to pose, or suspected of posing, a risk of air piracy or terrorism or a threat to airline or passenger safety." The list is used to pre-emptively identify terrorists attempting to buy airline tickets or board aircraft traveling in the United States, and to mitigate perceived threats.
A registered traveler is a person qualified through an airline passenger security assessment system in the United States air travel industry. Such programs were initially tested in 2005. Registered traveler programs are currently in operation in various airports around the country and are administered by TTAC, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) office responsible for Secure Flight, the replacement for the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS) and the canceled CAPPS II counter-terrorism system.
Security theater is the practice of implementing security measures that are considered to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to achieve it.
A boarding pass or boarding card is a document provided by an airline during airport check-in, giving a passenger permission to enter the restricted area of an airport and to board the airplane for a particular flight. At a minimum, it identifies the passenger, the flight number, the date, and scheduled time for departure. A boarding pass may also indicate details of the perks a passenger is entitled to and is thus presented at the entrance of such facilities to show eligibility.
SmartGate is an automated self-service border control system operated by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) and located at immigration checkpoints in departure and arrival halls in ten Australian international airports, and 4 New Zealand international airports. SmartGates allow Australian ePassport holders and ePassport holders of a number of other countries to clear immigration controls more rapidly, and to enhance travel security by performing passport control checks electronically.
Airport check-in is the process whereby an airline approves airplane passengers to board an airplane for a flight. Airlines typically use service counters found at airports for this process, and the check-in is normally handled by an airline itself or a handling agent working on behalf of an airline. Passengers usually hand over any baggage that they do not wish or are not allowed to carry in the aircraft's cabin and receive a boarding pass before they can proceed to board their aircraft.
A full-body scanner is a device that detects objects on or inside a person's body for security screening purposes, without physically removing clothes or making physical contact. Unlike metal detectors, full-body scanners can detect non-metal objects, which became an increasing concern after various airliner bombing attempts in the 2000s. Some scanners can also detect swallowed items or items hidden in the body cavities of a person. Starting in 2007, full-body scanners started supplementing metal detectors at airports and train stations in many countries.
Global Entry is a program of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to receive expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States through automatic kiosks at select airports and via the SENTRI and NEXUS lanes by land and sea. As of May 4, 2018, Global Entry was available at 53 U.S. airports and 15 preclearance locations. By April 2018 more than five million people were enrolled in Global Entry and approximately 50,000 new applications for the program were being filed each month.
Daon is an international biometrics and identity assurance software company founded in 1999 by Irish entrepreneur Dermot Desmond. The name, Daon, was chosen because it stems from the Celtic word for human being, duine daonna. Daon is headquartered just miles outside of Washington, DC in Fairfax, VA. Daon also has major operations in Dublin, located in the International Financial Services Center (IFSC). It has an additional offices in Belgrade, Serbia and Canberra, Australia.
Biometrics refers to the automated recognition of individuals based on their biological and behavioral characteristics, not to be confused with statistical biometrics; which is used to analyse data in the biological sciences. Biometrics for the purposes of identification may involve DNA matching, facial recognition, fingerprints, retina and iris scanning, voice analysis, handwriting, gait, and even body odor.
IDEMIA is a multinational technology company headquartered in Courbevoie, France. It provides identity-related security services, and sells facial recognition and other biometric identification products and software to private companies and governments.
Automated border control systems (ABC) or eGates are automated self-service barriers which use data stored in a chip in biometric passports along with a photo or fingerprint taken at the time of entering the eGates to verify the passport holder's identity. Travellers undergo biometric verification using facial or iris recognition, fingerprints, or a combination of modalities. After the identification process is complete and the passport holder's identity is verified, a physical barrier such as a gate or turnstile opens to permit passage. If the passport holder's identification is not verified or if the system malfunctions, then the gate or turnstile does not open and an immigration officer will meet the person. E-gates came about in the early 2000s as an automated method of reading the then-newly ICAO mandated e-passports.
Airport privacy involves the right of personal privacy for passengers when it comes to screening procedures, surveillance, and personal data being stored at airports. This practice intertwines airport security measures and privacy specifically the advancement of security measures following the 9/11 attacks in the United States and other global terrorist attacks. Several terrorist attacks, such as 9/11, have led airports all over the world to look to the advancement of new technology such as body and baggage screening, detection dogs, facial recognition, and the use of biometrics in electronic passports. Amidst the introduction of new technology and security measures in airports and the growing rates of travelers there has been a rise of risk and concern in privacy.
TSA PreCheck is a Trusted Traveler program initiated in December 2013 and administered by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration that allows selected members of select frequent flyer programs, members of Global Entry, Free and Secure Trade, NEXUS, and SENTRI, members of the US military, and cadets and midshipmen of the United States service academies to receive expedited screening for domestic and select international itineraries. As of July 2023, this program was available at more than 200 airports.
Beau Parry is an American inventor, known for his contributions in the field of biometric encryption and liveness detection. He is also the founder of BRIVAS, a biometric technology company that offers biometric encryption services for consumers, enterprises, and government. In 2012, Parry founded BRIVAS in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2015 he received a U.S. patent for biometric encryption to stop digital identity fraud. Parry achieved a granted patent that claims cloud based biometric liveness detection wherein the verification enables access to data stored in a blockchain. Parry also holds a patent that protects deterministic bio-signature keybinding that utilizes one or more biometrics along with contextual data from GPS or other sensors. Parry delivered a talk "Seeing is Believing" in a TEDx event in October 2018. Parry was educated at Cincinnati Country Day School and later attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he studied Economics and played linebacker under Coach Mack Brown.
Transmit Security is a private cybersecurity and identity and access management company based in Tel Aviv, Israel and Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by Mickey Boodaei and Rakesh Loonkar in 2014, Transmit Security provides companies with customer authentication, identity orchestration, and workforce identity management services. In June 2021, the company completed a Series A funding round by raising $543 million, which was reported to be the largest Series A in cybersecurity history. Transmit Security is a FIDO Alliance Board member.