Hertz’s Airport Facial Recognition Program Uses Customer Loyalty Rewards To Change Public Opinion

By MassPrivateI

Americans no longer have to worry about the TSA (DHS) using facial recognition to spy on you and your family. Because private corporations and sports stadiums are doing their dirty work for them.

Two days ago, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. revealed their plans to install facial recognition fast lane car rentals at every airport.

Which really should not surprise anyone, because last month I revealed the key to convincing Americans to accept facial recognition is to offer them consumer loyalty rewards and avoiding long lines.

SensibleVision CEO George Brostoff sees customer loyalty rewards as a logical next step in the U.S. And Goode Intelligence Founder Alan Goode, sees a huge potential for biometric customer loyalty programs.  Goode also thinks facial recognition should be used for age verification in self-check out systems.

Hertz and CLEAR’s slogan “The Exit Gate Without The Wait” follows that blueprint to a T. It is also a near carbon copy of DHS’s “platinum spy on your neighbor cam-share club” which attempts to add exclusivity to spying on your neighbors.

A look at Hertz’s “Fast Lane Hertz Powered by CLEAR” webpage reveals their main selling points are customer loyalty rewards and speeding through checkout/check-in lines.

We’re always looking for ways to save you time. That’s why we’ve partnered with CLEAR to give Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® members a new level of speed and convenience. All you need is a CLEAR account linked to your Gold Plus Rewards account. Ready to experience the exit gate without the wait? Follow these steps to start enjoying Hertz Fast Lane powered by CLEAR.

Hertz claims, Gold Plus Rewards members can “save time” and be on their way in less than thirty seconds if they agree to have their faces scanned.

Hertz and CLEAR’s nationwide plan to spy on car renters

A Hertz news release titled “Hertz and CLEAR Partner To Reimagine The Car Rental Experience” reveals their plans to spy on car renters nationwide.

With CLEAR, members enroll once to enjoy frictionless experiences with greater predictability at more than 40 airports and venues nationwide. Now, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® loyalty members who sign up for CLEAR and link their accounts will be able to verify their identity and rental reservation with just a look or tap of their finger. Hertz Fast Lane powered by CLEAR marks the first use of biometrics by a major rental car company, and the first time CLEAR’s trusted identity platform is enabling members to verify their identity using their face instead of showing a physical ID.

I am not sure which is worse, Hertz acting as an agent of the TSA or IDEMIA’s plan to install facial recognition cameras in every rental car. Last year I warned everyone that the Lincoln Motor Company was also working as a government agent by offering “Complimentary TSA PreCheck biometric scanners” in all their 2018 models.

What is is going to take for Americans to wake up?

As I mentioned earlier, nearly every major sports league offers TSA PreCheck biometric scanners to fans so they can skip check-in lines and purchase food and beer quicker.

Time and again we see private corporations do what law enforcement cannot. Corporations are not bound by most privacy laws.

As Wayne State University law professor Peter Henning so aptly put it:

There have been privacy concerns raised about police monitoring people, facial recognition. That doesn’t apply to you or I. The Fourth Amendment only applies to the government.

And that is exactly what is happening at Hertz and elsewhere, our government is exploiting privacy loopholes that allow corporations to spy for them.

You can read more at the MassPrivateI blog, where this article first appeared.