Just what I've always been looking for in the latest annoyances and lack of basic human privacy in air travel. Now airports in New York and Los Angeles are equipped with fancy body scanners, allowing security screeners to take a peek beneath passengers' clothing. The $120,000 machines are described to be the size of a revolving door and utilize low-energy electromagnetic waves to generate computerized image of a passenger's body. Hot.
The TSA claims stepping into the scan takes about a minute and is less intrusive than a pat-down or frisk for concealed weapons. While the scans are considered pretty benign and don't offer much detail, it can generate an image of the "intimate curves" of the human form. So what does that mean? That they're seeing the shape of our genitalia and mammary glands? Further, the images are allegedly neither recorded nor stored, and faces are blurred. I somehow don't believe it. I'm fully anticipating seeing Cameron Diaz's "intimate curves" on the next installment of Inside Edition after she innocently tried to fly to Hawaii for a weekend. Entire gossip monger celebutrash websites will do nothing but offer 'intimate scans' of innocent B-celebrity bystanders just trying to get to their next shoot.
I can't wait for everyone to see my "intimate curves" during my TSA screening!Right now, the scans are voluntary and can have the option of the scanner or pat-down. Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's program on technology, is concerned. "The images that I've seen are quite revealing," he said. "I guarantee you that as this gets more commonly used, you'll be seeing these images on the Internet." See! Barry agrees with me.
I've generally always held the attitude that travel takes sacrifice and passengers need to be prepared to follow the rules, no matter how stupid or ineffective the system may seem. Overall, everyone wants to be safe and that's all that should matter. Whether you like it not, following the rules are part of the purchase price of your airline ticket. You really can't fight the right to reject being randomly selected for a pat-down, nor getting the business from the TSA, nor have your bags lost. That's why I always say, "Pack light, cooperate, don't buy overly expensive luggage, don't have high expectations."
But this whole scanner situation makes me weary. How much more will we have to put up with just to take a flight to see our loved ones, explore, relax, enjoy our lives? While we could jump in the car to travel domestically, how do we get overseas and long distances? When will the actual process and logistics of traveling diminish our quality of life?
I'm not a fan of this. But given the option to be felt-up by the TSA during a physical frisk or let them see your "intimate curves", what would you chose?
Watch a TSA Tester Slip Through Security...
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2 comments:
Great article! It is really ridiculous the lengths the TSA will go toward creating a false sense of security by coming up with a slew of measures that won't actually in any way deter terrorism, just inconvenience the lives of regular people.
I completely agree with your sentiments! As if a terrorist would show up with a hidden hacksaw up their shirt. I understand the theory is to keep everyone safe, but they need to do something that's actually going to be effective and quit screwing around.
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