While the Transportation Safety Administration and the makers of the controversial full-body scanners swear up and down that the machines don’t save the rather revealing images they snap of screened travelers, New York Senator Chuck Schumer wants to go one step further and make it a crime to distribute or save the images.

Schumer has introduced legislation that would make illegal to store or distribute scanned images — including images snapped using personal cameras or hand-held devices. Violations would be punishable by up to one year in prison and $100,000 in fines.

“Anyone who would try to use these images for purposes other than security should be severely punished,” Schumer said.

The senator says he is not entirely opposed to the use of the full-body scanners, but that “You need to balance security and privacy.”

As you might remember from this summer, the U.S. Marshall’s Service in Florida announced it had 35,000 scanned images saved at a courthouse in Orlando.

Senate bill targets body scan image misuse [Boston.com]

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