Iris and Fingerprint Scanning are Replacing Airport Security Procedures

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Biometric scanning technologies are becoming more and more widespread in airports, stadiums etc., turning check-in procedures more efficient and quick.

Iris and fingerprints scans will soon replace standard security scanning procedures at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, USA.

The technology provides an alternative to the part of the check-in process where passengers wait to have their ID and boarding pass checked by U.S. Transportation Security Administration agents. Instead, passengers can get iris or fingerprint scans while the company’s employee scans their boarding pass.

According to GeekWire, the biometrics company Clear has a presence in 15 other airports across the USA, and it expects to have its service in 24 airports by the end of the year. A partnership with Delta Air Lines will bring Clear terminals to all of its major hubs.

The new technology has been certified a “qualified anti-terrorism technology” through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Safety Act, according to Caryn Seidman-Becker, the company’s CEO.

The company uses AWS GovCloud to protect its data, and Seidman-Becker said the company’s security procedures surpass industry best practices.

Clear’s technology was originally conceived in 2003 and launched in 2005 as a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. But Seidman-Becker said the product wasn’t viable at the time because of cost, debt and other reasons, so the founding company went bankrupt.

Seidman-Becker and her team acquired the technology in 2010.

Other airports using the technology include San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston (Bush and Hobby), Baltimore and Washington D.C. (Dulles and Reagan). Clear has terminals at seven stadiums across the country.