Clear may sell customer data

2009 June 26 post from voodoo

Clear, the company who tried to establish a more speedy airport screening service, far superior to the TSA, ceased operations and has filed for bankruptcy last week.  It now appears that clear may be selling their database with sensitive customer data via the bankruptcy.  This information includes all the usual PII (Personally Identifiable Information), such as Social Security #, names and addresses, but also includes fingerprints, retinal scans and credit card numbers.  Of course, Clear is assuring everyone that they will only sell it to another TSA approved provider.  It doesn't really matter to Clear that their customers may not trust company XYZ that may be buying the data, Clear is looking to make a buck to cover debt and if a few hundred thousand peoples identities have to change hands, so be it. 

http://www.itworld.com/security/69829/out-business-clear-may-sell-customer-data

 

Comments

at 10:46 a.m. on June 26, 2009, skipintro says...
Well, nobody trusted Clear either. They had to disclose that they lost track of a laptop which contained unencrypted customer data! How come I have PGP disk-level encryption on all my computers, but a SECURITY COMPANY can't?
 
 
at 2:12 p.m. on June 26, 2009, voodoo says...
Because they are selling you TRUST, not security. Consumers need to make more specific demands of companies that hold their data. I'm sure the Clear contract reads that they own that data and can do what they want with it... no one cared until now. I'm sure consumers will demand yet another useless govt. regulation (HIPAA,GLBA, etc.) to prevent this and like those it will do little to no good. Consumers have to take action to protect their data. We can just hand it out to everyone and hope for the best.

You've hit the nail on the head in regards to risk Skip, YOU encrypt YOUR data... this data isn't Clears data, it is that of their customers. If their customers aren't demanding protection of their data, why should they care? More cost and overhead for something consumers aren't that concerned with.
 
 

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