Airport security app Can score with U.S. vaccine passport
More than 60 U.S. stadiums deploy an app from Clear to verify the COVID-19 status of people. That places the New York company with its airport security fast lanes in the first place of a national debate on vaccine passports.
New York Mets and Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants will demand guests to prove that they tested negative or if they are immunized against it. They encourage to download records onto Clear’s Health Pass feature for convenience while the teams welcome paper proof.
Anti-surveillance activists Republican politicians are against requirements such as mask mandates. Last month, Republican governors in Texas and Florida moved to bar some establishments asking about immunization status. Legal experts say that door checks are lawful in terms of protecting public health.
Other passport apps and Privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation fears Clear will hold data indefinitely. Clear said users could control their health records.
Clear is a business based on replacing physical tickets, IDs, and credit cards with fingerprint or facial recognition. It has a massive opportunity in emerging health-check rules that familiarize more people with its technology.
Clear’s executive vice president of growth Catesby Perrin said that their core business is to help empower the consumer to get through that more quickly.
Several governments in Europe have introduced some apps that might be required to access gyms, transport, and restaurants.
It is still unclear if the high-tech options will be widely required to prove health status.
FROM AIRPORTS TO BALLPARKS
Clear users should upload a driver’s license or any other identity document and take a selfie. Then, before connecting to COVID-19 test results or the proof of vaccination, the system will check to make sure they match.
Some venues require a symptom survey on Clear or temperature check at a Clear kiosk.
Users get a green pass with a QR code and their headshot to scan at entrances or show staff.
Co-founder Pooja Shah said that the Texas music festival Electric Cookout adopted Health Pass to reduce the chances of an outbreak.
In February, the company announced a $100 million funding round with investors, including the National Football League’s 32 Equity fund growth firm General Atlantic.
The Seattle Mariners baseball team supported Clear’s technology for ID-less beer purchases between 2018 and 2019.
Clear noted that it was pleased with the results and continues to educate regulators.
The Giants aim to allow cardless concession sales this year.
