Passengers, including children, wait to have their naked bodies inspected in a new security scan in this photo provided by Schiphol airport, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Wednesday, May 16, 2007. Passengers hardly blinked at the introduction of a new security scanning system this week at Amsterdam’s airport, even though the machine allows guards to peer beneath their clothes. The “active millimeter wave” technology system under trial at Schiphol Airport is also being tested at airports in Mexico City and London, among others. It differs from the “back scatter” system being tested at Phoenix, Arizona, London, and other airports in that it uses low energy radio waves, rather than high-energy X-rays, to create a dim outline of a passenger’s body. (AP Photo by Schiphol Airport, HO)
“People have no idea how graphic the images are,” Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union, said.
Agence France-Presse | Jun 11, 2008
SECURITY scanners that can see through passengers’ clothing and reveal details such as their sex organs, colostomy bags and breast size, are being installed in 10 US airports.
A random selection of travellers getting ready to board airplanes in Washington, New York’s Kennedy, Los Angeles and other key hubs will be shut in the glass booths while a three-dimensional image is made of their body beneath their clothes.
Related
Airport strip-search machines “tear apart DNA”
The booths close around the passenger and emit “millimetre waves” that go through cloth to identify metal, plastics, ceramics, chemical materials and explosives, according to the Transport Safety Authority.
While it allows the security screeners – looking at the images in a separate room – to clearly see the passenger’s sexual organs as well as other details of their bodies, the passenger’s face is blurred, TSA said.
The scan only takes seconds and is to replace the physical pat-downs of people that is currently widespread in airports.
TSA began introducing the body scanners in airports in April, first in the Phoenix, Arizona terminal.
The installation is picking up this month, with machines in place or planned for airports in Washington (Reagan National and Baltimore-Washington International), Dallas, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Miami and Detroit.
The new machines have provoked worries among passengers and rights activists.
“People have no idea how graphic the images are,” Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union, said.
The ACLU said passengers expecting privacy underneath their clothing “should not be required to display highly personal details of their bodies such as evidence of mastectomies, colostomy appliances, penile implants, catheter tubes and the size of their breasts or genitals as a pre-requisite to boarding a plane”.
Besides masking their faces, the TSA says on its website, the images made “will not be printed stored or transmitted”.
“Once the transportation security officer has viewed the image and resolved anomalies, the image is erased from the screen permanently. The officer is unable to print, export, store or transmit the image.”
Lara Uselding, a TSA spokeswoman, said passengers were not obliged to accept the new machines.
“The passengers can choose between the body imaging and the pat-down,” she said.
TSA foresees 30 of the machines installed across the country by the end of 2008. In Europe, Amsterdam’s Schipol airport is already using the scanners.
20 responses so far ↓
wil // June 11, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Yeah pat me good.
Why should the viewer have all the fun?
“Besides masking their faces, the TSA says on its website, the images made “will not be printed stored or transmitted”.
Of course! It goes without saying.
gag
wil // June 11, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Looks like the suicide machine from a Star Trek classic episode. Computers fought the wars: if you were designated a casualty–you had to report. Great for buildings and infrastructure–not so great for people.
pjwalker911 // June 11, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I like the way the mother is comforting her little girl there, “Now it’s alright honey, the big fat man in the booth over there is going to inspect your private parts, but they tell us it’s our patriotic duty, so be a big girl now won’t you?”
The attractive woman in the inspection booth is being told “arch your back a little more, turn this way, with your hand on your hip, now push your arms together and purse your lips, give me some of that naughty girl look in your eyes, that’s it baby, beautiful…okay next, you there little girl….” And the mom says, “It’s okay honey. Remember. Patriotic Duty.”
Yes, after a weapon (nail clippers, plastic spoons and baby bottles) has been positively identified, then a black curtain comes down and the Xyklon-B gas is released. A trap door drops out and the body slides down a chute to the Soylent Green processing center.
Nothing to worry about though because it’s good for the environment, or so they tell us.
wil // June 11, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Well that “clear sky” or whatever program–Critic said great value for terrorists–just 80 dollah to find out if you’re on a watch list, and to find which of your operatives can get through.
I’ve said before–when did I enter the 1970’s sci fi movies/books I used to enjoy, but knew (I thought) weren’t actually going to happen.
wil // June 11, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Yeah I’ve seen other pix–these postures are bizarrely sexual. Probably secret web link to UN and other elite pervert recruiting centers.
pjwalker911 // June 11, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Oh yeah, remember that UN pamphlet that teaches the children to experiment with beastiality? Well, they do say the children belong to the UN, so I guess they must be right since they are the highest authority right? ehem..
wil // June 11, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Which pamphlet was that? Beastiality as in UN officials?
Now I forgot what I was going to say–ha–
wil // June 11, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Oh yes–how long before–sorry about all the fatal tumors, but the new vaccines will save your children.
Just wondering–where did the above pic come from–or who shot/set it up?
pjwalker911 // June 12, 2008 at 12:06 am
http://www.daylife.com/photo/02zI1i39CJ2ZS
I added that is an AP photo
pjwalker911 // June 12, 2008 at 12:16 am
I can’t find that story on the UN child sex manual right now, but know it is out there somewhere. Maybe, with your digging skills, you can come up with it.
Meanwhile, a related gem:
UN peacekeepers rape children, goats in East Timor
It revealed that one UN peacekeeper from an unnamed country sexually abused two boys and two girls in the enclave of Oecussi, and in 2001, two Jordanian soldiers were evacuated home with injured penises after attempting sexual intercourse with goats.
http://thedaily.newsvine.com/_news/2006/08/31/345874-un-peacekeepers-rape-children-goats-in-east-timor
Then this was only a couple weeks ago:
Child sex abuse by UN still rampant
Elizabeth, 12, was raped by 10 UN officers.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/child-sex-abuse-by-un-still-rampant/2008/05/27/1211654032020.html
marrob // June 12, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Soon they will be using these machines to ensure that we have not committed the Federal crime of removing our embedded electronic ID chip from under our skin.
Of course the average person has the critical thinking skills of a farm animal so why not track, catalog, classify, monitor, and profile the sheep for their own protection, right?
Absolute power of a small elite class to control the mass of humanity will lead to the absolute corruption of human life on earth.
Conglomerate corporations controlled all mass media in the USA and we have already become a corporate controlled society. Power and money is rapidly being taken away from the public and being consolidated into the hands of a few elites.
At some point, our defiance and protest may just save humanity from the darkest of dark ages.
pjwalker911 // June 12, 2008 at 4:54 pm
That’s right marrob. Another person who can still think freely.
Good spirit of defiance too. We need to have the guts to say no to all of it.
wil // June 12, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Is that one why goat meat has that taste?
As I said before–the new scanners would be exhibitionists wet dream. Time for frequent flyer smiles!
X // April 7, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Well,.. a bunch of you needs to seek help,. you are paranoid.
Anyway, the machine is great, clean, and efficient.
And don’t worry, no perverted people behind the screens, just regular people doing their job and look at a screen see an item passing by and have not all that much time to “enjoy” your pictures, not that they actually give a D who you are and what you look like.
Eg, when you screen for a living, its no longer people, just objects. no feelings attached.
And for the person that reacted with the story of the little girl, you are one sick dude, seek help, get some pills or lock yourself up before you actually hurt people.
My point here is, 1 you have a choise, 2 it has nothing to do with a “NWO” nwo is coming, but not like that 3 the scanner/operater couldn’t care less about how you look, you are just another image passing by. 4 Most people are to paranoid, you should worry more over the things you actually do not see. do not go into mass hysteria, just look around and gather info before you media hype out.
5, person with the little girl story, you go to far, SEEK HELP NOW.
Greg // April 21, 2009 at 8:07 pm
This technology is a sick joke. It is amazing to me how many sheeple are willing to be stripped by one of these machines without batting an eye.
Personally, I believe the person with the “little girl” story hasn’t gone far enough.
pjwalker911 // April 22, 2009 at 4:08 am
Just part of the overall dehumanization process. Of course the Nazis got the ball rolling.
X // April 24, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Really sad, that you are afraid of technological progress.
I guess you are th real sheep here Greg.
Study what it is, and learn some more about life, like i said before, this is not the thing you should be worried about.
WMcG // December 31, 2009 at 9:05 pm
You know, who really cares who sees what if it keeps me safe. Besides, I come from Rhode Island. We’re already imune from jokes and snickers about small things.
Dr. Phil :) // January 6, 2010 at 11:59 pm
OK… No new ideas here but just gut-level thoughts.
1. Yes, I know that there is probably nobody drooling over my private parts. Yes, I know they can’t link the picture to me but that psychologically doesn’t make all that much of a difference. I still feel uncomfortable.
2. Yes, making children go through that makes me really uneasy, kinda makes my stomach turn and my instincts react violently.
But:
3. If I must, I think I could just live with an anonymous scan which takes two seconds.
4. I really REALLY don’t want my parents to be on the next ‘air crash investigation’ saying what a nice guy I was while my ashes float to the depths of the deeps seas a couple of miles off of Brussels International…
Isn’t that the whole point? We’ve got this whole futile discussion (all arguments on both sides are completely relevant and reasonable) going on about the ethics of this scan, but the point is: some really SICK SICK SICK (and those people are really sick) keep on inventing new ways of blowing up planes, destroying hundreds of lives in the process and hiding their weapons in ordes to achieve success!!!
And although the fear of an attack will never again completely fade away (more’s the pity…), bombings taking down planes should become a thing of the past!
Anyone have any better ideas? Between point 1 and point 5, which do you choose? Doesn’t it really come down to that?
pjwalker911 // January 7, 2010 at 3:54 am
Dr Phil,
You sound like that newsreader who said we shouldn’t rile the Chinese about toxic toys since they are “our best trading partner” or some non-sense like that. Similar type of twisted masochistic Stockholm Syndrome logic.
This is about a kind of feudal control over the individual with complete and total invasion of privacy on the way. What do you think they will propose next, say in the event that a so-called terrorist slips through the body-scanner? Mandatory body-cavity searches is one possibility. And I suppose you would go along with that too. Your logic is that of a bleating sheep. baa-baaah!
Or are you really as dumb as you pretend to be? We’ll see.
Tell me more because I am just getting warmed up on you.