Michael "QBurnsAbstractMessage" Donaldson tells Boing Boing:
Orlando International Airport is in the midst of a 'security experiment'. For a fee of about US$80.00 a year you can submit yourself to a biometric scan (fingerprint and iris data will be taken) and well as a personal Homeland Security 'threat assessment'.
If you are determined not to be a danger to society then you will receive a credit card sized ID with a computer chip containing all of your biometric information. For the length of your 'membership', you will be allowed to circumvent the long security lines in favor of a much shorter access line. You will be asked to present your card to a machine that will match it to a fingerprint and/or iris scan.
This system is called CLEAR. It's only being tested in Orlando right now but is supposedly going to spread to other airports around the country.
As part of my weird job [Ed. note: famous globetrotting techno deejay] I fly in and out of Orlando at least once a week. The regular security lines are filled with families and screaming kids leaving from their Disney vacations. I have to admit, this VIP line would save me time and be much less of a headache. However, the idea of a collection of biometric information combined with a personal threat assessment is a scary one. The libertarian in me is fighting with my desire for quick and easy travel.
Reader comment: Jon Feldman says,
This sounds like an expansion of DHS's registered traveler program. They are piloting the program via three or four contractors in several airports – I'm part of EDS's Boston pilot at the American Airlines terminal. Each contractor seems to have different rules about how much it costs and how the system actually works. In boston the registration, biometric scans, background check and parking during the registration were free. In the end the pilot program is a bit of a bust – basically it bumps you to near the front of the frequent flyer line with a stamp on your ticket indicating you are less of a threat. In my experience it didn't provide any material advantage to just getting in the frequent flyer line.
And Garmt van Soest says,
I noticed you posted an article submitted to you about the airport in Florida which collects biometric data. It may surprise you to know that the Amsterdam airport (Schiphol) has been providing a similar service since 2002/2003. Iris-data is collected and stored onto a chipcard. The service is privacy-concern-aware, as the data which is collected is ONLY stored onto the card (I believe Dutch law prohibits companies storing information such as irisscans). Upon renewing my card (once every 3 years or so) you have to go back to have your eye re-scanned and imprinted upon a new card.
For me, it's pure heaven – not only does it allow you to shortcut security and customs lines, you also get special parking spots close to the terminal and can use business-class check in for a number of airlines. My monday-morning-commute was shortened from 2.5 hours house-to-plane to 1 hour house-to-plane (especially because I didn't have to be early to be sure I was in time) once I started using it.
When the system is broken (happened twice, so far) you get the
ultra-elitarian-treatment: a security guard recognises your card, escorts you to the front of the line and shoves the hour-long queue of mere mortals aside for you. I just love the comfort too much to allow my but-shouldn't-customs-be-a-public-service-and-therefore-equal-too-all-attitude
to get in the way.For more information – check out www.privium.com.
Dersk adds,
It's EUR 99 a year for biometric immigration, EUR 120 for the full package.
Michael Bean says,
In 2000 the INS launched a similar program called INSPASS which was available free to any US citizen or valid visa holder that traveled outside the US more than three times per year. INSPASS was available at seven US airports (including SFO, Miami, Kennedy, and O'Hare) and used a biometric hand geometry scanner and a striped photo ID card. Like the Orlando program, you had to submit to fingerprints and photos to get the pass.
I remember the officer at INS office at SFO, after looking at the quality of the fingerprint image he took, proudly telling me I better be careful not to get in trouble because the quality of my prints was excellent. Duly noted.
It was great being able to skip the horrific custom lines at SFO.
Unfortunately, the INS canceled the INSPASS program a couple years later, apparently because they were too expensive to maintain. See this Wired story: Link.
