I'm a little surprised that more concerns haven't been raised about the TSA's new whole body image security scanners, scheduled to be mandatory in most major airports by the end of 2009. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been testing them in several locations for well over a year and they are currently in use at nineteen U.S. airports.
Last month freshman Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) introduced legislation to restrict the use of these whole-body imaging machines for security purposes. In an opinion piece for CNN, Chaffetz said, "The images offer a disturbingly accurate view of a person's body underneath clothing, even allowing Transportation Security Administration officials to distinguish gender or see the sweat on a person's back. Americans should not be required to expose their bodies in this manner in order to fly."
TSA spokesman Kristin Lee told CNN that more than 99 per cent of passengers chose to use the machines when given other options for security clearance. What isn't apparent is if they knew how much of themselves was being revealed to TSA employees operating the machines behind the scenes.
To be clear, the facial images on the machines are distorted and according to the TSA "the security officer attending to the passenger never sees the image and the officer viewing the image is remotely located and never sees the passenger." The TSA says that images can't be stored or saved and are deleted immediately.
But is this necessary to make us safer? Or to make security more efficient?
Sean Martin, Senior Account Manager for Regan Communications doesn't think so. His company represents Millivision which has developed a number of high level security products including an Automatic Threat Detection (ATD) machine that protects the privacy of individuals being screened, while also detecting the smallest concealed threats. Rather than using radiation, the machine utilizes millimeter waves naturally emitted by the body and any objects on the body, a much safer option for both operators and those being scanned. This is very similar to the TSA's machines. The difference is that the Millivision machine translates the images and extracts potential threats and then overlays the threats onto a video image. Which makes the $180,000 price tag on their machines seem like a deal compared to the $170,000 machines that the TSA is using. After all, the TSA's machines require two employees to operate them for privacy purposes, while the Millivision machine takes away the need for the off-site operator.
So why isn't the TSA testing this machine? Is it untried? According to Martin, the scanners are already in use by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), and will be in use this summer by the Maryland Transportation Authority, and the Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C.
As privacy advocates are starting to take notice and lobby Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napilatano, with privacy concerns, the TSA may want to look at other options.
To sign the Privacy Coalition's online petition to ban the whole body image scanner, go here.
Full Body Scanner Images - Mahalo.com
www.mahalo.com/full-body-scanner-imagesAs of November 2010, sixty eight airports in the United States had begun using 365 full body scanners that can "see through" the clothes of passengers. The...
Tulsa passengers try out TSA's full-body scanners -
usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-02-19-airport-scanners...Feb 19, 2009 The 35-year reign of airport metal detectors began its slow descent this week in Tulsa, where for the first time some passengers are skipping metal detectors.
One Hundred Naked Citizens: One Hundred Leaked Body Scans
gizmodo.com/5690749Blog View Body Scanner Pic GalleryAt the heart of the controversy over "body scanners" is a promise: The images of our naked bodies will never be public. U.S. Marshals in a Florida Federal courthouse ...
The truth behind the airport full-body scanners
bodyscannertruth.comAirport Body Scanner Truth The truth behind the airport full-body scanners
EPIC - Whole Body Imaging Technology and Body Scanners ...
epic.org/privacy/airtravel/backscatterWhole Body Imaging Technology and Body Scanners ("Backscatter" X-Ray and Millimeter Wave Screening) Top News Background Resources Profiling
Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) Transportation Security ...
www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/advanced-imaging-technology-aitOfficial website of the Department of Homeland Security. Transportation Security Administration. User menu global search
How to opt out of the TSA's naked body scanners at the airport
www.naturalnews.com/030100_naked_body_scanners_airport.html(NaturalNews) I encountered my first airport naked body scanner while flying out of California today, and of course I decided to "opt out" of the scan. You do this by ...
TSA's airport security body scans spur US 'airport rage' - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBL3ux1o0tMSUBSCRIBE to Next Media Animation: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c... Full body scanners and enhanced pat downs in private rooms are fueling anger ...
Feds admit storing checkpoint body scan images Privacy Inc ...
news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20012583Aug 04, 2010 For the last few years, federal agencies have defended body scanning by insisting that all images will be discarded as soon as they're viewed. The ...
America's 14 Most Pissed-Off Comments on the TSA's Airport Body ...
www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/05/...public-input-airport-body-scannersAmericans wishing to fly by plane have been subjected to full-body scanners, also known as "Advanced Imaging Technology" or "porno scanners," since the Transportation ...
The criticism that Ralph Lauren doesn't want you to see! - Boing
boingboing.net/2009/10/06/the-criticismLast month, Xeni blogged about the photoshop disaster that is this Ralph Lauren advertisement, in which a model's proportions appear to have been altered to give her ...
The TSA Blog: Rapiscan Backscatter Contract Terminated Units ...
blog.tsa.gov/2013/01/rapiscan-backscatter-contract.htmlYou may remember us blogging about new privacy software we rolled out for the L3 Millimeter Wave body scanners. Its called Automated Target Recognition (ATR), and ...
WantMore Springwise
www.springwise.com/wantmoreWant access to everything weve ever spotted? Gain instant and exclusive access to over 4,000 of the most creative ideas, innovations and startups on our database ...
Transportation Security Administration
www.tsa.govProhibited Items For Travelers Careers 3-1-1 for Carry-ons TSA PreDownload full transcript (.doc, 24kb) Boston-based TSA Inspector Pedro Velazquez, who was a New York City cop and first responder on 9/11, is married to police ...
Health - How To Information eHow
www.ehow.com/healthTake your career to new heights. Our expert advice will help you land a job, navigate complicated work situations, get a raise or promotion or jumpstart a new career.
Used For Sale for sale in United Kingdom Gumtree Page 1/17159
www.gumtree.com/for-saleView page 1/17159 of For Sale classifieds in United Kingdom on Gumtree, the 1 site for classifieds ads. Boom! Success!
Scientists Question Safety Of New Airport Scanners : NPR
www.npr.org News HealthMay 17, 2010 After the "underwear bomber" incident on Christmas Day, President Obama accelerated the deployment of new airport scanners that look beneath travelers ...
Passenger slips metal by TSA scanners repeatedly
tsanewsblog.com/.../passenger-slips-metal-by-tsa-scanners-repeatedlyJon Corbett was the first person in this country to sue the TSA for invasion of privacy. He maintains a blog where you can read all about the progress slow, of ...
Full-Body Scanners at Airports: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ...
www.fastcompany.com/1501835/full-body-scanners-airports-good-bad...In our absurdly terrorism-fearing World, and after Christmas's near tragedy, it was inevitable: Full-body scanning tech will be coming to an airport near (or not so ...
USATODAY.com - Air travelers stripped bare with X-ray machine
usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-05-15-airport-xray-bottom...May 15, 2005 The agency in charge of the nation's air security expects later this year to begin using a controversial X-ray machine that will show airport screeners a ...
Jonah Falcon, Man With World's Largest Penis, Frisked By TSA At ...
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/jonah-falcon-largest-penis...Jul 16, 2012 Turns out it's legal to have a weapon of mass conception at the airport. Jonah Falcon was stopped and frisked by the TSA at the San Francisco International ...
Magnetic resonance imaging - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_resonance_imagingMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), or magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) is a medical imaging technique used in
America's 14 Most Pissed-Off Comments on the TSA's Airport Body ...
www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/05/...public-input-airport-body-scannersAmericans wishing to fly by plane have been subjected to full-body scanners, also known as "Advanced Imaging Technology" or "porno scanners," since the Transportation ...
Full-Body Scanners 101: How Naked Is Full-Body Scan Naked?
www.jaunted.com/story/2010/1/6/165831/7563What we do know about full-body scanners is that you can wear whatever you want to try and evade the prying eyes of the TSAheavy wool sweaters, pleather pants, and ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment