August 5, 2008

TSA Reports Loss of Registered Traveler Data

For a year, San Francisco air travelers have been offered the option of enrollment in the Clear Registered Traveler Program at a cost of $128. Those who registered were given a biometric ID card that could be used to bypass regular security lines. The Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration contracted with Verified Identity Pass, Inc. (VIP), a private company to run the program. VIP reported the theft of a laptop containing registration information from its San Francisco office. The agency is now prohibiting VIP from registering new customers into the Registered Traveler program. Registered traveler schemes are all vulnerable to several serious flaws including, the example presented in this news item. Travelers who registered for the program may find themselves waiting in lines once again.

Clear suspended following SFO laptop theft, ABC 7 News, August 5, 2008