New Body Scans at Airport Security See Through Clothes

by Will Safer on April 18, 2008 at 07:32 AM

Which would you prefer at the airport security check: a pat down or a "whole body imaging scan" that provides a highly detailed image of all your, um, curves (but does have your face blurred to protect your identity)?

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been testing out these devices, called millimeter wave machines, at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport and this week is adding the machines to Los Angeles International Airport and New York City's John F. Kennedy International.

The TSA says that during the test in Phoenix, 90 percent of travelers preferred the scan to having a full body pat down. The TSA agent viewing the image from one of the devices will be in a separate booth and will not be able to see the traveler's face in order to maintain privacy. After the image has been checked it won't be stored, according to the TSA.

Even so, are these images invasive? What about privacy concerns?According to the TSA blog, "These images are friendly enough to post in a preschool. Heck, it could even make the cover of Reader's Digest and not offend anybody."

The TSA also claims the machine emits 10,000 times less energy than a cell phone transmission.

You can see how the body image is captured in a video here and also watch a demonstration of the actual machine in motion here.

Millimeter wave machines are already in use at airports in Britain, Spain, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Thailand and the Netherlands. [Source CNN]

Tags: security, travel, tsa

Comments

teslasnpApr 18th 2008 11:22AM

Neutral

just one step closer to losing any semblance of privacy that we thought we had.

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NijnskyApr 18th 2008 12:47PM

Neutral

oh gosh, the person review all the scans, must have a field day... It would be like watching porn while working.

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DanApr 18th 2008 2:02PM

Neutral

It this only for explosives and chemicals or will this detect drugs as well.
like pot or something else?

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GregApr 18th 2008 4:36PM

Neutral

The article says:
According to the TSA blog, "These images are friendly enough to post in a preschool. Heck, it could even make the cover of Reader's Digest and not offend anybody."

Instead of making unsupported assertions that these pics are not offensive, why didn't they just show us a half dozen of these pics of various people from various angles? This was the obvious, better way to convince us that the pics are not offensive. The fact that they didn't makes me suspicious.

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julieMay 24th 2008 10:24AM

Neutral

Don't worry about the radiation exposure, it only builds up over time slowly breaking down cells and further weakening your immune system. Your elderly immune suppressed Grandmother or pregnant wife shouldn't worry...really?

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ArielDec 4th 2010 6:44PM

Neutral

Just another reason why we have to throw the Bush-Cheney crowd out of office. They treat the Bill of rights like toilet paper with which they wipe their backsides

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CandyOct 15th 2008 8:40PM

Neutral

oh Gosh.....

I dont like it. I dont like airport sercurity checking me out.

No privacy.....

Disappointed................

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MikeFeb 20th 2009 2:52PM

Neutral

What about the fact of someone seeing underneath the clothes of minors? Shouldn't this be a big concern as well.

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PHILLYWILLIJan 4th 2010 10:59AM

Neutral

I WAS TELLING MY HUSBAND THIS FACT JUST TODAY...IMAGINE YOUR TEENAGE DAUGHTER HAVING TO GO THROUGH THIS??? OUTRAGOUS....THE THOUGHT IS MADDING TO ME, IT IS CHILD ABUSE....

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kundalini77Jul 19th 2009 7:32PM

Neutral

Yeah,
Problem, Reaction, solution,

Create a problem = Terrorism, there all out to get us, lets have a war on something that can never be won.

Reaction = you the people demand it be stopped,

Solution = Look we will just take away some of your freedoms, not all of them, just a few you really wont even miss them.

Big Brother is not coming he's here

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patFeb 27th 2010 10:12PM

Neutral

give me a break, you want them to deal with the problem of terrorism, and yet you whine and complain when they come up with something that might actually help. its like profiling. people complain about it, but why not wait until it proves to be unsuccessful before complaining about it...until then do what works.

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ted mrozNov 18th 2010 3:46PM

Neutral

I think if there is to be a body scan of people of both gender's that a figure that is the same for each person that is discreat and the same for all would take away the problem of one being embaresed of there body features and private body parts would be more acceptable then the present more revealing pictures as of late. I think to remake the present scanners would not be to much to retro fit then to have all the humilatating scans of the present method.

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