Pat downs, puffers or full body scans – what’s your preference?
The new security device with “see-through” technology is about to make its début. Thirty-eight of these new full-body imaging machines will arrive at ten of America’s busiest airports this fall. They look through clothing to create an explicit silhouette of the traveler — showing shapes, folds of fat and other anatomical characteristics — all in the cause of identifying possible hidden objects.
These machines are causing quite an uproar with the traveling public. I don’t know about you, but those TSA chumps can look all they want — not that a middle age woman is their idea of a hot ticket. I’m all over doing what is necessary to keep fliers safe from would be shoe or self igniters. I can’t think of anyone who favors the groin pat-down so I would rather “look” naked with a bag over my head.
It’s been said that those who object to the full body scan can opt for an old fashioned frisk but we know that form of security will soon become obsolete. I have experienced the “puffer” machines on too many occasions at Miami International. It’s certainly reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe if one is wearing a skirt – whoosh!
So if you’re anti full body disclosure, steer clear of airports that are now using these machines and remember theoretically you have a choice between the machine and a pat-down.
The Transportation Security Administration recently started using body scans on randomly chosen airline passengers in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, Albuquerque and New York’s Kennedy airport. Airports in Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas and Miami will be added this month. A total of 38 machines will be in use within weeks.
You may also be interested in these articles
Comments
5 Responses to “Pat downs, puffers or full body scans – what’s your preference?”
Please share your thoughts...
Whether it’s a virtual strip search from a machine or an old-fashioned spread-eagle groping from Bubba, it’s still a strip search. That may indeed be a necessary and effective tool for protecting aviation, certainly more so than removing shoes and confiscating lip gloss.
The only objection I have is that the TSA seems intent on trying to convince the public that the machines are something other than a strip search. They put out comforting propaganda about how the machines are “non-invasive” and “protect your privacy,” and get very upset when people refuse to believe it.
I think they’d get more acceptance if they were honest and up front about what the machines really are, and tell us that a “virtual strip search” is an effective tool (and then preferably do away with some of the less effective stupidity they foist on us). One of the most serious problems with the TSA is that they regard the public as both stupid and an enemy. In reality, we passengers want the same thing the TSA (supposedly) wants, and they’d do a lot better at their supposed job of protecting aviation if they had the cooperation of travelers rather than resentment and antagonism.
I’m unhappy with the full body scans. It is a strip search - and it’s going to be abused. Just think of all the fun you’re going to get out of screeners at LAX with celebrities and their body scans.
One thing I haven’t been able to find is a comparison of effectiveness between these machines and regular x-rays. We’re still relying on the human element, the screeners, to make judgement calls on scanned items. And if your TSA screeners are anything like mine, they can be barely bothered to do their job in between yelling at passengers and gossiping with each other.
It’s a disaster waiting to happen. I feel like we should be picking dates on when the first major embarassment to come from this hits the news.
I just dare them to put me on You tube!
so it’s easy, put the sceeners in a place where they can’t see who they are screening.
From what i’ve seen the picture produces by these machines is not very, how do i say this, visualy exciting on itself.
having some burly guy grab en fondle me is much more of an invasion than this machine. So unless they combine TSA and hooters i will go for the machine 100%
I’ll go for the pat down over the scan any day. Although I did have an issue with a pat down shortly after 9/11 — I’m slim and the female agent thought the edge of my rib cage was a weapon of some kind! She obviously hadn’t felt her own ribs for some years . . .
Once a digital image is created, e.g. through a body scan, there’s no telling what will happen to it. It can be copied and stored indefinitely. I don’t find the “trust us, the person operating the scan can’t see you” statement very reassuring. Human nature being what it is, some passengers’ bodies will eventually be displayed for anyone to see. If IRS employees can break the law by looking up celebrities’ tax returns, it doesn’t take much imagination to project what TSA employees will do with images of bodies they find remarkable (negatively or positively).