Our global security efforts Our most frequently asked questions about CLEAR
What is CLEAR?
CLEAR is a public safety and risk management tool developed by Thomson Reuters to help select, authorized customers combat threats; protect communities from fraud; detect risk; and undertake civil and criminal investigations such as money laundering, human trafficking, and drug and weapon smuggling.
Utilizing proprietary technology, CLEAR accesses a variety of sources to expedite investigative processes and risk identification, enabling customers to access information to support time-sensitive investigations. When a child is missing, an active crime scene is unfolding, or an illicit drug interception is in progress, every second matters.
How is CLEAR used by customers to help combat threats and protect communities?
CLEAR is a public safety and risk management tool. It helps our customers keep institutions running smoothly, curtail fraudulent transactions, shield organizational reputation, and protect communities.
Please visit our Everyday Heroes website for more stories about how our products help keep communities, businesses, and individuals safe from crime, fraud, and other harms.
Which customers can access CLEAR?
CLEAR is inaccessible to the public and is only for use by select, authorized customers comprising law enforcement, government, corporate, and legal professionals.
Is CLEAR used by government customers to track and deport non-criminal undocumented persons in the United States?
No. CLEAR does not contain data about a person’s immigration or employment eligibility status. It is not designed for use for mass illegal immigration inquiries or for deporting non-criminal undocumented persons and non-citizens.
Does the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have a contract with Thomson Reuters designed to track and deport undocumented persons in the United States?
No. DHS-ICE contracts Thomson Reuters to support the agency’s investigations involving terrorism activities, national security and public safety cases, narcotics smuggling, organized crime, and transnational gang activity. Additionally, our solutions support their investigations into child exploitation, human smuggling and trafficking, illegal exports of controlled technology and weapons, money laundering, financial fraud, cybercrime, and intellectual property theft.
Is a search warrant needed to access CLEAR?
No. CLEAR does not contain data that requires a search warrant to access, such as precise geolocation data from cell phones.
What contracts does Thomson Reuters have with DHS?
Various agencies within DHS engage Thomson Reuters to support their investigations involving terrorism activities, national security and public safety cases, narcotics smuggling, organized crime, and transnational gang activity. Additionally, our solutions support their investigations into child exploitation, human smuggling and trafficking, forced labor, illegal exports of controlled technology and weapons, money laundering, financial fraud, cybercrime, and intellectual property theft.
Does Thomson Reuters conduct surveillance?
No. Thomson Reuters does not conduct surveillance.
What types of data does CLEAR contain?
CLEAR contains data made available by government agencies, like court records and real estate property records, and publicly available content, such as white-pages information. In some cases, we also use privately aggregated data, such as business directories. We only license data from reputable data providers, thoroughly vetted with a commitment that they comply with all applicable laws, including privacy laws.
What types of data does CLEAR not contain?
Examples of the types of data CLEAR does not contain include utility or telecommunications account information, bank or credit account financial information, insurance claims, internet search history, phone call logs, credit histories, health records, employment history, precise geolocation data, cell phone GPS tracking, immigration status, employment eligibility status, and non-U.S. resident information. Thomson Reuters actively filters out data pertaining to minors.
Can CLEAR be used for consumer eligibility determinations?
No. CLEAR is not a consumer reporting tool, and our customers’ use of it or its data for consumer eligibility purposes — for example, credit, insurance, and employment — is strictly prohibited under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
How do you ensure customers use data in CLEAR in compliance with applicable legislation?
We take privacy and data protection very seriously, and our customers are required to use CLEAR in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Our robust compliance program covers the entire customer lifecycle to ensure that only appropriate entities — those that have certified their permissible use under applicable statutes — have access to CLEAR. If misuse is detected, we will take action, including terminating customer accounts.
What steps does Thomson Reuters take to ensure its business practices uphold privacy?
The Thomson Reuters purpose is to inform the way forward by delivering trusted content and technology that professionals and institutions need to make the right decisions. Together with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law; turn the wheels of commerce; catch bad actors; report the facts; and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.
Our policies and procedures reinforce the company’s commitment to human rights, which includes a Human Rights Policy, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Supply Chain Ethical Code, supplier onboarding and due diligence processes, and the Modern Slavery Transparency Statement. We actively review best practices for identifying and mitigating human rights risks.
We also align with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which augments our longstanding commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights, and other international standards. The UNGPs are the global standard for preventing and addressing the risk of adverse impacts on human rights linked to business activity, and they provide the internationally accepted framework for enhancing standards and practices about business and human rights.
We have also established board and senior management-level oversight of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters, including human rights. We believe that integrating ESG into our business strategy and operations enhances our efforts to drive our business and the interests of our stakeholders.
We run our business with purpose — advancing our sustainability goals; fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace; and making a difference in communities through our people, products, and partnerships — in the pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. We outline this work in our annual Social Impact & ESG Report.