The Transportation Security Administration announced that it will remove the controversial body scanners from all thirty airport locations now using them. The scanners, called backscatters, were created by Rapiscan and produce photo of a person’s body in which the subject appears nearly nude. The scanners have been the subject of debate since 2009.
The US government, in response to public pressure, gave a June deadline to Rapiscan to improve the software creating the photos. The company announced Thursday that they would not be able to meet the June deadline and will be assisting TSA in removing all scanners.
L-3 Communications, a different scanner manufacturer, now has 669 airport scanners in operation. The image their machine produces is only an outline of the body and operates faster than the Rapiscan model. All 669 L-3 Communications models will stay in use.
TSA promises an improvement in security wait times. Travelers may also find peace of mind in knowing that their privacy is a little more secure.
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