Clear Secure
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| Legal Structure | Public |
| Industry | Software, Identity verification |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://www.clearme.com |
Clear Secure, Inc., sometimes stylized as CLEAR, is a software company that provides identity verification technology to partnered organizations using biometric scanning technologies. Initially founded by Steven Brill and Ajay Amlani under the name Verified Identity Pass in 2003, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2009. It was purchased by CEO Caryn Seidman Becker and other investors for $6 million in 2012.[1] The company went public in 2021.
Consumer-impact summary
[edit | edit source]User Freedom
[edit | edit source]Clear Secure is typically presented as a voluntary alternative to conventional identification methods as a natural result of being member-focused. However, the company's "CLEAR1" service to rental companies may be used as an exclusive means of identity verification, precluding consumers from renting without the provision of the sensitive data profile otherwise necessitated by participation. This can cause particular upset in areas of life where a consumer has been otherwise accustomed to verifying identity through a more conventional and far less invasive means which had otherwise been regarded as sufficient to begin with.
User Privacy
[edit | edit source]Clear Secure executives have suggested a bigger vision for the company that echoes ideas reminiscent of the Recognition Economy concept.
In an August 2018 interview with PYMNTS, Clear president Ken Cornick suggested the possibility of Clear expanding into new verticals:
Our operating [thesis] is that, going forward, security demands are going to grow, not diminish — and identity is a key element of security. It’s not just airports, but any physical environment. We want to build the bridge that connects the gap between the need for security and the need for fiction-free experiences.
That solution...is to create a portable biometric identity with a fingerprint or iris scan to help travelers board flights more efficiently — or to even allow people to fast-track the entrance at sporting events and concerts, and complete transactions with a quick scan of something every consumer has on them at all times.[2]
In an interview with Travel Weekly four months later, Cornick remarked, "Our view is that biometrics should replace the wallet." Travel Weekly continued:
Looking forward, Cornick said, Clear would like to expand into payment technology.
"Our view is that biometrics should replace the wallet," he said.
Within the travel sector, Cornick said, Clear could use the biometric markers of members to facilitate walletless payment at airport concessions. In another example, Clear could expand its partnership with Delta to offer walletless in-flight purchases.
Similarly, Cornick would like to develop walletless payment at stadium and arena concessions. Keyless and walletless building entry is another biometric space that Clear would like to occupy, Cornick said.[3]
In a September 2025 interview with CNBC, CEO Caryn Seidman Becker remarked that "an ID document is not an identity." She argued further:
"Synthetic identities and deep fakes are easier and more prevalent than ever. From a solutions perspective, it’s why you need a multi-layered approach to identity that’s not just facial. You can’t just take a picture of a face and assume that it is that person, it’s no longer applicable."[4]
Business Model
[edit | edit source]Partnership
[edit | edit source]Clear's primary revenue stream comes from its airport partnerships. The company offers a separate airport screening service in participating locations to afford flyers the ability to bypass security lines.
Since its revival in 2012, Clear has expanded to offer its technology to companies with rental services seeking a means to identify would-be renters. This can include home, vehicle, and tool rental services.[5][6]
Clear is also partnered with Uber and Docusign.[4][7]
Customer Membership
[edit | edit source]Clear initially pursued a card-first model for its membership program (now called "Clear+"). The system recorded and assigned biometric scan data, government-issued documentation, and photographic data to membership identification cards which would be issued to new customers. In an airport setting, members would voluntarily approach a CLEAR security kiosk, provide the card alongside a scan of the fingerprint or iris, and wait a short while as their identity was verified with this authentication stack.
In a 2025 press release, Clear announced the launch of CLEAR ID, a means of providing digital identification already verified by the company which may be used by Clear+ members and non-members alike.[8]
Incidents
[edit | edit source]This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Clear Secure category.
Passenger with stolen identity successfully enrolled, escorted through security (July 2022)
[edit | edit source]In July of 2022, a passenger was able to enroll in Clear's membership program under another person's identity. Clear's technology was nonetheless able to detect a mismatch between the ID presented and the member profile, but the employee waved the passenger through anyway.[9]
Passengers with incorrect boarding passes escorted through security (Jan, Mar 2023)
[edit | edit source]In two separate incidents in early 2023 (January and March), a Clear employee escorted an airline passenger through airport security despite having only presented a boarding pass belonging to another flyer. In one of these cases, the boarding pass had been previously discarded into the trash. Neither passenger presented ID, nor were they enrolled as a member of Clear's membership program.[9][10]
Products
[edit | edit source]- CLEAR+ (Membership program)
- CLEAR Mobile
- CLEAR ID
- CLEAR1 (software)[11]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Robert Silk (23 May 2012). "With Hertz deal, Clear opens another lane". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ "CLEAR: Biometrics, Ballparks And Bridges To A Portable ID". PYMNTS. 20 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ Robert Silk (18 Dec 2018). "With Hertz deal, Clear opens another lane". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ian Thomas (2 July 2025). "Clear CEO Caryn Seidman Becker on future of identity verification technology in daily life". CNBC. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ "CLEAR and Snappt Close the Identity Gap in Property Management". CLEAR. 13 Apr 2026. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ "Hertz, Clear Announce Partnership". Global Traveler. 20 Mar 2020. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ "Uber and Clear Partner to Enhance Rider Verification". CLEAR. 1 November 2024. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ "CLEAR Launches CLEAR ID: A New, Free Way to Present Your ID at TSA Checkpoints with the CLEAR Mobile App". CLEAR. 15 Dec 2025. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "A passenger used a boarding pass found in the trash. CLEAR escorted them through airport security". CLEAR. 7 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ "A passenger was whisked through TSA security checkpoints by Clear, but they never signed up or had their identity checked —they just used a boarding pass they found in the trash". CLEAR. 7 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
- ↑ "Introducing CLEAR1: The New Standard in Identity". CLEAR. 22 Apr 2025. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2026. Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.