I don't have a lot of time this morning to write, but I did want to jot off a couple quick notes after seeing on the local news this morning that Dulles and Reagan airports (here in DC metro) are activating Clear programs this morning. Clear is one of the commercial companies providing services under the TSA's Registered Traveler program (also here).
Thought #1: Clear allows you to pay for a shorter line to screening, but it doesn't reduce your screening time once you get to the checkpoint. This program essentially creates a 2-class society in airport screening, between those who can afford $128/year and those who can't technically afford the tickets that they're using. Some may argue that this is a nice convenience for regular travelers, but it does not address the root problem, which is an extremely faulty security screening process at airports.
Thought #2: This program does not improve security in the least. It might increase convenience for those who pay for the program, but at what expense? Clear says in their privacy policy that they keep minimum information and don't use it in any way. Your biometric information is being kept somewhere, and logs of your travel plans are being kept somewhere, and the TSA (and, by extension, DHS) have access to all that information. One has to wonder if the FBI will be making use of this data source, too.
At any rate, the bottom line here is this: they can't reduce any of the checks in the screening process, however broken that might be, because they (being the TSA) still has no clue how to properly address passenger screening (Schneier has blogged on this topic multiple times). Moreover, there may be other security concerns with Clear related to clearing someone with a clear record who may have ulterior motives.
Thought #3: More privatization of security functions makes me a bit squeamish. Law enforcement is subject to the the US Constitution when it comes to reasonable search and seizure. Private security companies are not (see here, here, and here).
