Clear releases digital ID based on US passports for TSA ID verification

Clear has announced the launch of Clear ID – according to a release, a free, mobile digital ID that allows travelers to verify their identity at more than 250 TSA checkpoints directly from their phones using the Clear Mobile App.

“Clear ID gives travelers a new seamless way to move through the airport with confidence and win the day of travel,” says Clear CEO Caryn Seidman Becker in a release. “Whether you’re a Clear+ Member or not, moving through security should be simple, secure, and in the palm of your hand. This innovation also paves the way for Clear ID to be recognized as a mobile-first identity credential beyond travel.”

Anyone with a U.S. passport can create and use a Clear ID, which can be presented as a QR code at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel.

The company says by allowing travelers to keep all of their travel information in one place, Clear ID simplifies the airport, even for Clear+ members.

Last month, Apple launched a comparable, TSA-compatible digital ID generated from a U.S. passport and a biometric facial scan for verification.

‘Enroll once, use everywhere’

Clear has recently been actively building partnerships in the healthcare sector, but it continues to expand its airport operations. Baltimore’s BWI Marshall Airport has new biometric eGates equipped with Clear+, as does Palm Beach International Airport, as well as eight other airports across the U.S. In the words of Seidman Becker, “one step and you’re in.”

On an episode of the After Earnings podcast, the CEO reflects on Clear’s current momentum. “We’re seeing good growth across the board,” she says. “I think being a secure identity company is a here-and-now opportunity that we saw 15 years ago. People want safer and easier experiences both in travel and enterprise identity.”

Seidman Becker came to Clear in 2010, and has brought it through a decade and a half of opportunities and setbacks. What, exactly, is the opportunity she saw back then, and has pursued ever since?

“I saw the concept of enroll once, use everywhere.”

Article Topics

ABC gates  |  airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  CLEAR  |  Clear ID  |  digital ID  |  digital travel  |  identity verification  |  TSA