Another Way to Clear Airport Security

A Dunn Loring company has won federal government approval to provide services for a program that lets airline passengers speed through security lines for an extra fee.

Priva Technologies, a nine-year-old security authentication firm, plans to announce today its selection as an authorized operator of Registered Traveler, which is run by the Transportation Security Administration. Under the program, participants can use a special line at airports and clear security using fingerprints or face scans. Members provide personal information to the government, carry identification cards and pay a yearly fee, usually about $128, to companies that offer the service.

The company's entry puts it on a collision course with the program's top provider, Verified Identity Pass, owned by media entrepreneur and author Steve Brill. Verified's services will be made available at Reagan National and Washington Dulles International airports next month.

Priva hopes to partner with National and Dulles, among other airports, but still must forge agreements and may face other barriers to getting its equipment approved. About 16 U.S. airports and 70,000 travelers take part in the program. Operators pay a fee to the airports.

Priva says it is distinct from other operators in several ways. First, it hopes to allow users to carry an electronic ticket on their identification card, thereby skipping the normal ticketing area. The firm also hopes to make marketing offers available to fliers, such as a free beverage at the gate. And, Priva says it can charge less than $100 for its services.

"What we care about is security and privacy and pulling that together with convenience and value," said chief executive Jeff Minushkin. "The industry doesn't care about just getting you through the line faster."

Cindy Rosenthal, a spokeswoman for Verified Identity Pass, disagrees about the merits of offering extra bells and whistles.

"We found from doing lots and lots of studies that people don't want to mix that kind of information with their biometrics and with the information that's stored on the card," she said.

Verified Identity Pass and Priva may encounter another conflict: Verified's program is called Clear, while Priva's is called Cleared.

"Cleared" has been trademarked for years, but not originally for air-security purposes. Neither party seemed pleased.

"We definitely have to protect our trademark but we have not spoken to any of the companies in the marketplace," Minushkin said.

"I certainly do think we'd have a problem. That would be pretty confusing to the public," Rosenthal said.

-- Zachary A. Goldfarb