San Francisco Chronicle Wrings Hands Over Backscatter Imagers At Airports

29 Dec, 2009 by William Teach

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I have a novel idea for those liberal pantywaist bedwetting hand wringers who are worried about invasive measures designed to protect flyers: don’t fly

As the federal government begins an inside-out review of airport security after a passenger allegedly sneaked explosives onto a plane last week, attention is turning to a growing debate over a key approach to airline safety: whole-body imaging at airports.

Critics say the technique compromises privacy by letting screeners “peer through clothing and capture detailed, three-dimensional images of individuals completely undressed,” according to a recent lawsuit.

But supporters are adamant that the imaging protects privacy while making flying safer.

San Francisco International is one of 19 U.S. airports where this screening method is used by the Transportation Security Administration.

After this article, the typical lefty bed wetters will surely be out protesting. But, hey, if they stop flying, it’ll reduce the CO2 output!

Anyhow, is this an invasion of privacy? Some are calling the use of the machines a “digital strip search.” The ACLU, is, of course, against the use of these measures that would protect the public from Islamic nutjobs attempting to hijack/bomb airplanes.

The (TSA) says there’s no privacy problem. “Facial features” (and, presumably, other body parts) “are blurred when our officers see the images,” the TSA insists. Nor will the agency “keep, store or transmit images. Once deleted, they are gone forever…. For additional privacy, the officer viewing the image is in a separate room and will never see the passenger, and the officer attending to the passenger will never see the image.”

“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 noted on its blog.

Not that I want to trust a government agency, but, hey, you know what invades my privacy? Taking my shoes off in the airport. It is not required, but, you can imagine what will happen in you do not cooperate. Having to roll up my pant leg when the machines go off, and having said leg wanded (stainless steel bar in my leg,) in full view of every other traveler. Oh, and having my body parts scattered to the 4 winds because some Islamic nutjob goes on a jihad and the security could have stopped him/her.

The Wired link above has some images from the backscatter devices. They look like art.