Why did the CLEAR Health Pass want so many of my medical records?
SA Kokua Line July 14, 2021 (excerpts)
… After going through the enrollment process and entering my photograph and other personal information, I was asked to release all my medical records from Kaiser Permanente to CLEAR, not just the results of the vaccination….
We had asked CLEAR, and the biometric screening company’s emailed response was terse: “CLEAR is opt-in and only uses an individual’s COVID-related information with their consent to generate a Health Pass in order to enable safe and easy entry to Hawaii.”
(Translation: We’ll use the rest for whatever we want.)
Q: Do we have to use CLEAR? Isn’t the Safe Travels app enough?
A: No and yes, respectively. The state will accept the CLEAR app to verify eligible COVID-19 vaccination or testing for domestic passengers entering Hawaii, but its use is not required. Moreover, CLEAR does not replace the state of Hawaii’s mandatory Safe Travels digital platform. Incoming passengers who choose to use the CLEAR app must also create a Safe Travels account and link their CLEAR Health Pass to it….
Hawaii- bound travelers fully vaccinated anywhere in the United States may use the Safe Travels app, by filling out the application at travel.hawaii.gov and uploading their eligible vaccination document themselves. By contrast, the CLEAR app “does not support CDC card image uploads as a means of verifying vaccination records for travel to Hawaii,” and instead retrieves information from providers…
Users must authorize this retrieval of records, which can be broad, depending on how the user’s electronic medical records are stored. CLEAR says on its website that “securing data and protecting privacy is job #1.”…
Its privacy policy, at clearme.com/privacy_ policy, describes the information the company collects and how it is used — nonhealth information may be used for marketing purposes unless the user opts out, for example. We’ve heard from prospective users who said they started enrolling in the CLEAR app but ended up scrapping the application because they were put off by some questions or because their vaccine record could not be retrieved (after they had uploaded their personal information). CLEAR’s policy states, “We also may collect personal information typed into forms on our website, whether or not the form is submitted.”…
read … Why did the CLEAR Health Pass want so many of my medical records?
SA Editorial: Health-info privacy not very CLEAR
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Airport security app Clear looks to score with U.S. ‘vaccine passport’
Reuters, May 3, 2021 (excerpts)
… Over 60 U.S. stadiums and other venues are deploying an app from Clear to verify people’s COVID-19 status, placing the New York company known for its airport security fast lanes at the forefront of a national debate over “vaccine passports.”
Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants and New York Mets are among the first big businesses to demand guests prove they tested negative for the virus or are immunized against it. While the teams welcome paper proof, they encourage downloading records onto Clear's Health Pass feature for convenience.
As with mask mandates, such requirements are under attack from Republican politicians and anti-surveillance activists, as un-American intrusions on civil liberties. They fear businesses will discriminate against the unvaccinated and unnecessarily amass personal data.
Republican governors including in Florida and Texas last month moved to bar some establishments from asking about immunization status, though legal experts say door-checks are lawful to protect public health.
Privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation fears Clear and other passport apps will hold data indefinitely and morph into consumer trackers. Clear said users control their health records.
As a business based on replacing physical IDs, tickets and credit cards with facial or fingerprint recognition, Clear has a huge opportunity in emerging health-check rules that would familiarize more people with its technology.….
It remains unclear whether high-tech options to prove health status will be widely required. At their best, apps would combat fake records by validating information against public health databases, but that is no small task.
Piscini said it requires accessing at least 64 separate databases in the United States. But California, for example, has yet to specify whether and when it will share records with apps.
Clear has started testing access to vaccination records but declined to disclose details….
Clear users upload a driver's license or other identity document and take a selfie, which the system checks to make sure they match before connecting to COVID-19 test results from hundreds of labs or the proof of vaccination.
Some venues also require a symptom survey on Clear or an automated temperature check at a Clear kiosk.
Users get a "green" pass with their headshot and a QR code to show staff or scan at entrances. Venues pay for the system….
Clear's primary service, priced at $179 annually, enables customers to use biometric scans to skip ID card inspections at nearly 40 U.S. airports. It also offers a free service enabling registered users to jet through "Clear lanes" to access entertainment venues.
Combining subscribers and non-paying users, Clear, whose services also go by Alclear and Secure Identity, said it has about 5.7 million members.
The company will not disclose financial results, but announced in February a $100 million funding round with investors including growth firm General Atlantic and the National Football League's 32 Equity fund.
Clear still has hurdles to become accepted and get people comfortable with using it.
The Seattle Mariners baseball team promoted Clear's technology for ID-less beer purchases from 2018 through 2019. The team said the effort did not generate "meaningful" usage data….
The Giants aim to enable card-less concession sales this year, and its chief business development officer, Jason Pearl, is enthusiastic about Clear’s technology. “I don’t think anyone else comes close.”…
read … Airport security app Clear looks to score with U.S. ‘vaccine passport’
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State Of Hawaii And CLEAR Partner To Expand Safe Travels Program Across The U.S.
CLEAR's Health Pass Available for All Flights and Airlines from US Mainland to Hawaiian Islands
Travelers Can Provide Proof of Vaccination to Avoid 10-Day Quarantine
News Release from CLEAR Jul 09, 2021
NEW YORK, July 9, 2021 -- CLEAR (NYSE: YOU) and the State of Hawaii have partnered to expand the use of CLEAR's Health Pass technology for COVID-19 test screening and vaccine verification of all Hawaii-bound travelers through the Hawaii Safe Travels program. Starting on July 9th, passengers over the age of 18 from every U.S. mainland airport and on any airline may utilize CLEAR's Health Pass as part of the Hawaii Safe Travels testing and vaccine requirements for arrival in all airports in Hawaii - making it simple and easy to travel to Hawaii without being subjected to a 10-day quarantine period.
Using the free CLEAR mobile app and Health Pass feature, travelers can add their negative COVID-19 test result or vaccine verification to their Health Pass. Travelers will then head to the Hawaii Safe Travels website to apply for a quarantine exception by linking to their CLEAR Health Pass. A seamless and secure process that can all be done with just your phone.
"Safe travel is important for our residents and visitors, and CLEAR offers travelers an additional convenient and secure option for providing vaccination and pre-travel testing verification for those returning home or coming to Hawaii for work or vacation," said Gov. David Y. Ige.
"We are excited to expand our partnership with Hawaii and its Safe Travels program," said CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker. " CLEAR's mission is to provide people with safe and frictionless experiences, and with this new expansion, showing proof of vaccination and enjoying the Aloha state just got much easier."
Health Pass is a free, mobile experience by CLEAR, which securely connects a person's verified identity to multiple layers of COVID-19 related insights, including proof of vaccination, to reduce public health risk. CLEAR's Health Pass is able to link to vaccination results from hundreds of vaccine providers and national pharmacies, including Walmart, Atlantic Health System and the state of California.
For example, California residents can access their COVID-19 vaccination information through California's Immunization Registry (CAIR) and generate a QR code. They can use the CLEAR app to scan the code to link their proof of vaccination to their Health Pass. More than 40% of travelers to Hawaii originate in California, and CLEAR's Health Pass is ready and able to help Californians easily show proof of vaccination and visit Hawaii.
In February, CLEAR initially partnered with the State of Hawaii on a pilot program featuring Health Pass on direct flights between LAX and Honolulu on United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
HOW IT WORKS:
No more piles of complex paperwork and fragile CDC cards. Once a traveler has created a Health Pass and linked it with Hawaii Safe Travels, they are ready to enjoy Hawaii:
Securely Link Vaccination or Test Results: Travelers can generate a Health Pass by linking to their proof of vaccination or a COVID-19 test results. Health Pass has the ability to link to hundreds of vaccine providers including national pharmacy chains, Walmart, Atlantic Health System, and the state of California's vaccine registry.
Connect Health Pass to Safe Travels: Once created, travelers will then go to the Hawaii Safe Travels website to apply for quarantine exemption by linking to their CLEAR Health Pass.
Frictionless Pre-Boarding: At the boarding gate or in the terminal, airline employees will scan the HI QR Code to validate that all entry requirements are satisfied. Depending on the airline, travelers may receive a wristband to help expedite arrivals procedures in Hawaii. If a particular airline does not provide preclearance prior to departure, travelers will be screened upon arrival in Hawaii.
Seamless Arrival: Upon arrival to Hawaii, travelers will show their wristband to airport personnel to demonstrate compliance with all entry and exemption requirements - expediting the entry process - or proceed to arrivals screening.
About CLEAR
With CLEAR, you are always you. CLEAR's mission is to enable frictionless and safe journeys using your identity. With more than 5.6 million members and 100+ unique locations and partners across North America, CLEAR's identity platform connects you to the cards in your wallet - transforming the way you live, work and travel. Trust and privacy are the foundation of CLEAR. We have a commitment to members being in control of their own information and never sell member data. CLEAR is at the highest level of security by U.S. government regulators and is also certified as Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology under the SAFETY Act.
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