Privacy advocates call for end to airport ‘virtual strip searches’

David Edwards and Stephen Webster
Raw Story
Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) kicked off a campaign Tuesday which calls on the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) to halt the use of “whole body imaging” scanners at airports.

They are calling application of the technology “virtual strip searches” of travelers.

“The campaign responds to a policy reversal by the TSA which would now make the the ‘virtual strip search’ mandatory, instead of voluntary as originally announced,” the group said on its Web site. “EPIC and others say that there are inadequate safeguards to prevent the misuse of the images. They are asking Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to suspend the program and to allow for public comment.”

“Nobody needs to see my wife and kids naked to secure an airplane,” said Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) in a media advisory from April. Chaffetz has proposed legislation he says will address Americans’ privacy concerns about the machines, which produce highly detailed images.

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“Airports in 20 U.S. cities, such as JFK in New York City and LAX in Los Angeles, have used or plan to use MMW tech this year,” noted Live Science. “Other countries have also begun using or evaluating MMW for airport screening, including the UK, Netherlands, Japan and Thailand.

“The MMW and backscatter scans intentionally blur facial features, and the security officer viewing images sits in a remote location where he or she cannot identify the passengers, said Lara Uselding, a TSA spokesperson.”

“‘It’s the wave of the future,’ said James Schear, the TSA security director at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, where two body scanners are in use at one checkpoint,” reported USA Today.

The paper continued: “Schear said the scanners could eventually replace metal detectors at the nation’s 2,000 airport checkpoints and the pat-downs done on passengers who need extra screening. ‘We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with whole-body imaging,’ Schear said.”

CNN’s Tamron Hall talked with Lillie Coney of the Privacy Coalition about the imaging technology on Tuesday.

This video is from CNN’s American Morning and MSNBC News Live, broadcast May 19, 2009.

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9 Responses to “Privacy advocates call for end to airport ‘virtual strip searches’”

1. Craig Unger Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 5:19 am

   In 1997 NORAD said, “Aircraft flying over our air space are monitored seven days a week, 24 hours a day.”

   The quote above is contradicted by the following 2008 quote from NORAD, “Since the tragic events of 9/11, NORADs role which previously was outward-looking now includes monitoring airspace within North America.”

   See the 5 articles on NORAD at http://www.DNotice.org

   The articles can be found under the Previous Articles section.

2. global plantation serf Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 11:07 am

   Hey if I was a voyeur what job would I target? Yes, this is it!

3. Rosa Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 12:31 pm

   Every time I fly I find the TSA people more than a little creepy but I think the machines should be used as a secondary measure for people who would have been patted down or stripped searched anyway. This video has more on the technology and how it is currently being used: http://www.newsy.com/videos/ai.....vs_privacy

4. Crazy Horse Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

   I wouldn’t doubt if there are live feeds from these machines to the white house bunker so the elite sex fiends can get their rocks off.

5. Matzo Man Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 1:48 pm

   Is assuming everyone guilty without probable cause the answer?

   If you think so then everyone should be strip searched every time! NO EXCEPTIONS.

6. question everything Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

   Did anyone else notice that at 1:22 the tsa says that the images can’t be saved or printed and at 3:14 and 4:33 they show printed out images held by a security officer

   

   everything questioned Reply:
   May 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm

   wonder what else they are lying about

7. Bill Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 5:29 pm

   Just one more reason not to fly. The govt was either caught with its pants down when 911 happened, or maybe they were involved in the whole thing, so logic would say that if you screwed up, you should have LESS responsibility, not more.

   If you or I screw up on the job, our bosses will no doubt either fire us, yet we’re supposed to believe that we should be giving the govt MORE responsibility after they F#CK up? That isn’t right.

   Time to fire the TSA and Homeland Insecurity. More govt is not the solution to the problem, it IS the problem.

   I say people need to join together in a BOYCOTT of the airlines, until they get rid of these clowns…. Giving the TSA full body scanners is like giving car keys and a bottle of booze to a teenager…..

   Welcome to America…. Formerly the Land of the Free, and home of the brave, I’m afraid it is fast becoming the Land of the Theives, home of the slaves. Time to fix it, before its too late.

8. Steven B Says:
   May 21st, 2009 at 12:35 am

   X-rays are a known carcinogen. They cause CANCER. I won’t be using this new technology for the obvious health risk.