Want to Cut the Long Lines at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport This Summer?

Want to cut the long lines at the Seattle-Tacoma airport this summer?  All you have to do is hand over scans of your face, eyes and fingerprints to a private company called CLEAR, and pay a fee of $179.00 per year.

CLEAR is a concierge program which allows you to go to front of the security line. But after you cut the outer line, you still have go through regular airport screening like everyone else.

So why does CLEAR need all that your biometric data?

On its website, the company says the concept is to make travel and shopping easier. In the future, maybe you could buy a beer at a ball game with just your fingerprint. And CLEAR's system for securing your biometric data is government-approved.

The Port of Seattle agreed to let CLEAR set up shop in 2016.  Now, the Port gets 10 percent of CLEAR's gross sales at SeaTac. Delta Air Lines also has a 5 percent stake in the company.

So if you don't mind handing over some money—and your data, of course—CLEAR is now available in 30 airports and sport stadiums nationwide, including Safeco field.  (KUOW, June 22, 2018)
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To use the CLEAR program you have to provide this private company with large amounts of your personal and biometric data. These types of databases are constant targets for criminal hackers and government abuse. It's not a question of will the data be breached or misused, it's only a question of when.

If you are concerned with your personal privacy you should make every effort to limit the amount of data that is available about in in business and government databases. The more information that is available, the greater your risk of being compromised in a data breach.