Because personal data, for some reason, finds its way onto laptops that are then lost or stolen.

The Clear program is not, as it initially appears, a way to skip the security line at the airport. For $100 per year and some intrusive background checks, you get to ... skip ahead in line. But you still have to go through regular security just like everyone else.

Security systems are only as good as the human beings who administrate them. If some fool is able to download personal information onto his laptop -- probably unencrypted -- then the millions and billions of dollars that we've spent on a complex security system means absolutely nothing. It's very simple to implement good computer security: for example, one rule would be under no circumstances is sensitive information ever to leave the office, no matter what your title is.