The TSA recently announced that airport security scanners which can see under clothing are being installed at 10 U.S. airports, according to the AFP. Travelers will enter glass booths while a 3-dimensional full-body image is rendered using “millimeter waves.” Because the image gives a clear representation of travelers’ bodies and genitalia, it has some people concerned about their privacy. More, inside…
The article says,
While it allows the security screeners — looking at the images in a separate room — to clearly see the passenger’s sexual organs as well as other details of their bodies, the passenger’s face is blurred, TSA said in a statement on its website.
The scan only takes seconds and is to replace the physical pat-downs of people that is currently widespread in airports.
TSA began introducing the body scanners in airports in April, first in the Phoenix, Arizona terminal.
The installation is picking up this month, with machines in place or planned for airports in Washington (Reagan National and Baltimore-Washington International), Dallas, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Miami and Detroit.
But the new machines have provoked worries among passengers and rights activists.
“People have no idea how graphic the images are,” Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union, told AFP.
The ACLU said in a statement that passengers expecting privacy underneath their clothing “should not be required to display highly personal details of their bodies such as evidence of mastectomies, colostomy appliances, penile implants, catheter tubes and the size of their breasts or genitals as a pre-requisite to boarding a plane.”
Besides masking their faces, the TSA says on its website, the images made “will not be printed stored or transmitted.”
“Once the transportation security officer has viewed the image and resolved anomalies, the image is erased from the screen permanently. The officer is unable to print, export, store or transmit the image.”
Lara Uselding, a TSA spokeswoman, added that passengers are not obliged to accept the new machines.
“The passengers can choose between the body imaging and the pat-down,” she told AFP.
Even if we trust the TSA to blur the faces of travelers and properly dispose of the naked images, and we don’t, we believe the TSA has reached yet another milestone in violating our privacy. We appreciate the fact that the TSA is allowing us to choose between the full-body-scan and a pat-down, as if giving us some choice absolves them from any criticism. So which would you prefer, being groped by the TSA or letting them take your naked picture?
Scanners that see through clothing installed in US airports [AFP] (Thanks to Bladefist!)
(Photo: Getty)
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thats REALLY messed up… wow.
There seems to be some sort of a negative trend regarding Big Brother of late.
1. Library book and video checkouts. Check!
2. Cell Phones and landlines tapping. Check!
3. Internet web browsing history. Check!
4. Email snooping. Check!
5. Nude pictures from the good boys over at TSA. Check!
What’s left anymore?
Most of my airport visits since my early teens have included some groping. It’s pretty humiliating and at Miami and St. Louis I’ve gotten full- on man handled. (I won’t go into detail, but I can say that it was bad enough for me to prefer a full body scan.) Something about TSA screeners seeing my body, even if it is explicit, somehow feels less invasive.
I’m speaking purely from personal experience, so that probably makes my sentiments a little skewed.
Why hasn’t a Constitutional law appropriate law suit (against excessive & unreasonable search) been filed yet?
Wow.
What an outrage. What an injustice!!! If I ever have to submit to something like this, I will not fly. I just plain won’t do it. That’s a completely unnecessary invasion of privacy.
What’s wrong with being patted down? It seems to be working fine so far. I don’t think very many people would like to be exposed like this just to get on a plane.
This story was posted on LA Times months ago. My response is: will you let TSA watch you take a dump, too, just to make sure you didn’t stick a bomb up your butt? Safety first, people!
/sarcasm
Good on you. Feel free to wave your privates at the TSA for the privilege of getting on a plane. The rest of us are able to comprehend that “the human body is beautiful” is not an excuse for being forced to reveal one’s own body for no good reason whatsoever. Or are you one of those people who thinks downblouse photos are a public good?
@cjdmi: Again, all that depends on how much you trust their denials. Yet more weasel words were found.
They say that the *technology* doesn’t have this capability (which is a REALLY false statement). And a further clarification of “that the TSA is testing”. Which could be differentiated from what the TSA is deploying or implementing. Or providing an ‘upgrade’ for at a later time. Or perhaps another government agency, outside of the TSA, provides the technology, and makes it transparent to the TSA folks.
Why? Perhaps to store images for ‘security training’ or for ‘review and rate screening officer proficiency’ or to ‘provide feedback for enhancing the product’. And how about vendors? Someone who is repairing the unit?
With such a simple denial with some vague wording, they could be doing just about anything.
Wow. Staying home.
My only consolation is knowing that TSA will be seeing an awful lot of bad naked. Suckers!
This really doesn’t bother me. Privacy is an illusion, as is anonymity. If there is any left, it’s because there is SO MUCH personal information available that no human being has the time to sift through it all.
I’ll be thinking of porn right before I enter that booth, try to freak them out
I’m thinking to insist on the pat down, always makes them nervous when you breath heavily at this point.
Seriously though, how often has a hijacker been stopped at security? I think it would make the news atleast once in th past few years, and if it has I haven’t heard of it.
What sucks is that the US forces other countries to adopt the American security guidelines so soon enough we’ll see this in Europe as well.
dustincimino: You’re quick to jump on the “OMG Terrists!” bandwagon, for such a new commenter. This administration has eroded fundamental human rights to a degree never before seen anywhere on earth.
I think this whole thing is silly, though, and I don’t care if someone sees me naked. I look good. In other countries they have boobs on billboards, and aren’t so hung up on it.
It’s the other stuff that the TSA does, like scanning your laptop and making you get rid of your fucking water bottles that pisses me off.
I personally don’t mind at all, because my face would be blurred. I don’t care if a TSA employee sees my anonymous dong. Even if we were aquaintances, I don’t think he/she’d recognize me (and if he/she did, I don’t think the nature of our relationship would befit embarrassment.) Also, making this mandatory would ELIMINATE the hated random security checks.
And to those worried about the issue of perverts behind the curtains, sure it could happen. However, as long as we keep the operators themselves under surveillance, fire them if they take pictures of the screen or whatever, we should be ok. If the gov’t indeed does keep the pictures, they’ll be behind enough red tape so that nobody should worry about them.
@RedSonSuperDave:
We already have such a law. It’s called the U.S. Constitution.
We have to take naked pictures of everyone or else the TERRORISTS WIN. If you have a problem with this then you are WITH THE TERRORISTS. It is essential to give up your privacy so that WE CAN FIGHT AL QAEDA. THE TERRORISTS HATE US FOR OUR FREEDOM so you will now be expected to give it all away.
Welcome to America, land of the slaves, home of the cowards.
@dustincimino:
I would like you to prove that seeing my naked body prevents terrorism. If you were capable of critical thinking you would realize that these measures are solely about CONTROL and have nothing to do with SECURITY.
“If you dont like what the TSA is doing stop flying or stop bitching.”
Having a problem with the government interfering with free travel and commerce is called being AMERICAN. Your comment equates to:
“If you have a problem with fascism, further restrict your right to travel and your rights to privacy, and above all else stop complaining about it.”
Those of us who are familiar with history and actually pay attention to current events have to live with the fascist, totalatarinistic, tyrannical, police state that the majority of ignorant people like yourself have forced us into. I’m sorry but you are going to have to live with us “bitching” about it.
If you don’t like living in a free society where some citizens still have enough dignity to complain about having their rights taken away then stop frequenting consumerist websites, and stop bitching about it.
This truly is becoming a country gripped by irrational fear. Since when did America become the “Home of the Chickenshit”.
@LionelEHutz:
since 9/11
@swags: kiddie porn. no thanks. need a waiver for the pat down & scan for all minors.
@mantari: deliberate devilish details
we’re supposed to not notice.
@dgp: no bet. keepin’ my $$. kthx.
@LibertyReign: @mantari: bingo! well said.
@SayAhh: here’s hoping that stays sarcasm as no doubt that’ll be the next TSA request if they think they can get away with it.
@ninjatoddler: good question. anything anyone?
what the heck made you think that you were entitled to
privacy. Get your file from the FBI or the IRS.
privacy HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
i have no problems with the tsa equivalent in europe. i got stopped at the secret security check at the gate in copenhagen and the guys who patted me down and x-rayed were so nice and i ended up talking to them for 10 or so minutes. i’d also rather get scanned than patted down by a butch lesbian who lingers on my tits.
@couldbebopeep:
I prefer neither. Naked xrays at the airport are an invasion of my privacy and they encourage the government that it is OK to invade my privacy so why not take it even further. Pat downs are completely useless and are about control, the appearence of security and making customers feel safe and docile while simutaneously teaching them to conform to unreasonable searches.
This is the major problem with our society. YOU don’t have a problem with it, so you think it’s O.K. That is not how freedom works. It is unnecessary therefore it should not be allowed, otherwise others suffer from what YOU think is O.K. and it progresses further into something which inevitably all peoples of all nations will find unacceptable.
“So which would you prefer, being groped by the TSA or letting them take your naked picture?”
How about they grope me while I’m naked and then take pictures?
Storing my biometrics in databases accessible by TSA or government officials? My little girls naked body image stored? Letting us choose between full body scan or pat down…Ya for now!