Page 24 - aruba-today-20181217

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Monday 17 deceMber 2018

Hertz, Clear partner to speed rentals with biometric scans

By DEE-ANN DURBIN mised, you can't really do
AP Business Writer anything about it," he said.
Biometric screening is ex- "The more people who po-
panding to the rental car tentially have it, the more
industry. potential for things to go
Hertz said Tuesday it is bad."
teaming up with Clear, the Seidman-Becker said Clear
maker of biometric screen- will not sell or share the
ing kiosks found at many data it collects. She not-
airports, in an effort to slash ed that the company has
the time it takes to pick up been certified by the U.S.
a rental car. Clear hopes Department of Homeland
it will lead more travelers Security.
to its platform, which has 3 But Jeramie Scott, the na-
million members in the U.S. tional security counsel for
It's the latest place con- the Electronic Privacy Infor-
sumers will find biometric mation Center, said sharing
technology, which has biometric data is still risky,
migrated over the last 50 because there are no fed-
years from secure govern- eral laws governing the col-
ment facilities and banks to lection, use and retention
airports, stadiums and even of biometric data.
smartphones that unlock "An individual might sign up
with the touch a fingerprint. for one use only to find out
Hertz is the first rental car that down the road their
company to use the tech- data is being used in an-
nology. other manner," he said.
Improvements in camer- Marinello said Clear ap-
as and other technology In this Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, photo, a rental car driver demonstrates a new biometric scanning proached Hertz about
machine by placing his finger on the reader at the Hertz facility at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
have made it cheaper to International Airport, in Atlanta. the partnership and Hertz
install scanners that can Associated Press agreed to pay for the in-
read fingerprints, faces, stallation of the Clear pods.
and irises. More than 100 next year, including John bers of the Gold Plus Re- drivers could be wearing Marinello wouldn't say how
airports worldwide use bio- F. Kennedy Airport in New wards program, which also makeup or winter scarves much Hertz is investing, but
metric readers from Clear, York, San Francisco Interna- has no fee. Travelers can that change their features. said the company expects
Vision-Box and other com- tional Airport and Los An- sign up for Clear at a Hertz "If you don't do the biomet- to recoup that through in-
panies to scan passengers. geles International Airport. location. To upgrade to air- rics right, you'll turn off the creased customers and re-
Walt Disney World verifies Hertz Gold Plus Rewards port service, which promis- customer more," he said. turn visits.
visitors' identity by scanning loyalty program members es to move Clear members But biometric scanning Hertz has been eager
fingerprints. with access to Clear will be through security lines more done well could be more to adopt new technol-
And the advancements will able to bypass the counter, quickly, travelers must pay robust and secure than ogy and partner with other
likely keep coming. Micro- pick up their car and head a monthly fee of $15. having an employee see companies in an effort to
soft is working with Austra- to the exit gate. There, Clear says it's the first time if a driver's face matches prove there is still a future in
lia's national bank on card- Clear pods equipped with it will be identifying mem- their license, he said. rental cars despite pressure
less ATM machines that cameras and touchscreens bers based on their face Jain doesn't think custom- from ride-hailing compa-
would let people withdraw can read their face or their instead of their iris or their ers need to be particularly nies and self-driving cars.
cash using a facial scan fingerprints. If they match fingerprints. Clear CEO worried about facial scans. It's a partner with Volvo
and personal identifica- up with Hertz's reservation Caryn Seidman-Becker He points out that millions in an autonomous driving
tion number. Universities in data, the gate will open. says the cameras can take of people have shared incubator in Israel, for ex-
London and Copenhagen Hertz will have at least one measurements and identify photos of their faces on ample.
have on-campus groceries lane dedicated to Clear minute differences in facial Facebook and other plat- Clear, too, has been try-
that let students pay with members at each location. features. forms already. ing to boost its membership
their finger. Some laptops Hertz President and CEO Amil Jain, a professor at But Justin Brookman, direc- through partnerships after
can now be unlocked with Kathy Marinello expects Michigan State University tor of consumer privacy Seidman-Becker bought it
a fingerprint scan. Clear to shave 1.5 minutes who researches biometrics, and technology for Con- out of bankruptcy in 2010.
Hertz with Clear launched off what's now a two-min- says facial screenings work sumer Reports, said con- Delta Air Lines bought a 5
their biometrics scans this ute checkout process. by comparing an original sumers should think twice percent stake in the com-
week at Hartsfield-Jackson "In the world of travel, I think photo to a new one. That before sharing personal pany in 2016 and offers
Atlanta International Air- time is of the essence," she could be tough in a rental identifiers. discounted Clear member-
port. It will be rolled out to said. car lane, where the lighting "Once your biometric data ship rates for its frequent
40 more U.S. Hertz locations The service is free for mem- may differ substantially and gets leaked or compro- fliers.q