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> In Europe, some airports just directly offer a paid priority security option, which sometimes is actually quite inexpensive. But it seems this may not be allo

> In Europe, some airports just directly offer a paid priority security option, which sometimes is actually quite inexpensive. But it seems this may not be allowed by the TSA, and the alternative is the fiction of Clear supposedly offering some identity verification benefit. The question is why a non governmental entity is inserted into the middle of transportation security, with a profit incentive. There already existed an entire apparatus for airport transportation security. There already existed an entire apparatus for fingerprint and other biometric verification to expedite the security screening process (precheck and global entry). So then why did the government give Clear the right to bypass the official process? Why not just have a precheck plus or whatever system? Why not just have everyone do their biometrics when they do them every 5 years for precheck as it is?

cge 3y ago
It is, in reality, just paying for a separate line, nothing else. It is not a more convenient or even different security process, as precheck tries to be, it is just a more consistently short line to get to that process. The entire identity verification aspect is nonsense, and everyone knows it is nonsense. It is arguably slower than just showing an agent my passport. I agree that it makes little sense, and doesn't seem like it should be allowed, but for some reason, the airports in the US have decided that paid priority security lines should be outsourced to a for-profit private intermediary offering a nonsense security service.
divbzero 3y ago
> The question is why a non governmental entity is inserted into the middle of transportation security, with a profit incentive. Reminds me of ID.me, the for-profit company that authenticates users for certain IRS services including IRS Direct File [1]. For some reason, the government agency asks us to present our government-issued ID to a private company to verify our identity when Login.gov [2] exists to provide “the public’s one account for government”. [1]: https://directfile.irs.gov/ https://directfile.irs.gov/ [2]: https://login.gov/ https://login.gov/
- lotsofpulp 3y ago
  Also a travesty. Especially when USPS could have rolled out an identity verification API years ago. They already verify your identity in person in order to get a US passport, they have physical office space and employees everywhere. What a lost opportunity. Now we are beholden to minimum wage mobile phone company employees to ensure we don’t get our 2FA SMS hijacked.

cge 3y ago

It is, in reality, just paying for a separate line, nothing else. It is not a more convenient or even different security process, as precheck tries to be, it is just a more consistently short line to get to that process. The entire identity verification aspect is nonsense, and everyone knows it is nonsense. It is arguably slower than just showing an agent my passport. I agree that it makes little sense, and doesn't seem like it should be allowed, but for some reason, the airports in the US have decided that paid priority security lines should be outsourced to a for-profit private intermediary offering a nonsense security service.

divbzero 3y ago

> The question is why a non governmental entity is inserted into the middle of transportation security, with a profit incentive. Reminds me of ID.me, the for-profit company that authenticates users for certain IRS services including IRS Direct File [1]. For some reason, the government agency asks us to present our government-issued ID to a private company to verify our identity when Login.gov [2] exists to provide “the public’s one account for government”. [1]: https://directfile.irs.gov/ https://directfile.irs.gov/ [2]: https://login.gov/ https://login.gov/

lotsofpulp 3y ago
Also a travesty. Especially when USPS could have rolled out an identity verification API years ago. They already verify your identity in person in order to get a US passport, they have physical office space and employees everywhere. What a lost opportunity. Now we are beholden to minimum wage mobile phone company employees to ensure we don’t get our 2FA SMS hijacked.