Airport security: Are you buff enough? (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Andrew Vaughan).It’s not often I agree with a Republican but when Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) says "Nobody needs to see my wife and kids naked to secure an airplane [seat]” then I tend to agree with him.
Chaffetz did not refer to a new ticketing system introduced by Hugh Hefner, but rather the whole-body imaging scanners used at nineteen airports around the country, with more in the pipeline. The scanners (scientific name, “Millimeter Wave Scanner”) take super-revealing snapshots of you in all your glory. So don’t forget to change your underwear when you fly from the airports in which they’re used.
Rightly, Mr. Chaffetz has proposed a bill to stop whole-body imaging scanners being used as the primary source of TSA security. “In the interests of security” is a phrase which has become a Moonie mantra and we should increasingly question the procedures to which it leads.
And think of the poor TSA staff. How many airline travelers would you actually want to see in the buff? Shudder.
Comments
No children are screened using the whole body imager.Everyone is given a choice.
This is not true. I was not given a choice at all by the Tulsa Airport. In fact, if my sister had not warned me they were using these machines, I would have had no idea what they were doing. It was quite apparent that EVERYONE was being made to go through the scanners and you were not given a choice at all. In fact, I was not even told what they were doing.
CWB is wrong...SLO is correct. Loads of people have had the same experience as SLO w/out being forewarned. They didn't know what they were doing--that they were being stripped naked by a machine. That's a disgusting breach of trust and just basic human rights/dignity. I consider it sexual harassment at best, but more akin to sexual assault (think peeping tom leering at you as you step out of the shower). Thanks for the short article. We need to get the word out and warn people so that they really DO have a choice.
I was pulled out of line and interrogated like a criminal when I refused to get a digital strip search done by the TSA.
I spoke with the TSA's MOD and he said his whole team absolutely HATES the machines, that they get thousands of complaints each week, and that nothing they say has any impact on TSA.
Your best choice is to call your senators, call your newspaper and complain loudly.
The TSA does not have the right to observe your naked body in order for you to travel freely. Call BS loudly and often.
I just experienced this at the Indianapolis airport. I was selected to be put in the machine... After putting my hands on top of my head and being turned twice I asked the TSA rep if I had set off the security machine? He said not, I was just the next person in line. My husband, however was not selected. I then realized what was going on and asked if I was in one of the body scanners. I was told bluntly "yeah, but if it makes you feal any better it's a woman looking at your image." I said "No, it doesn't." I left feeling violated and humilated. No one gave me the choice, I wasn't even told what I was being subjected to.
My wife had the same bad experience like SRM. She was asked to step into the machine, both TSA staff (both males) knew exactly what they are doing, they never offered her any options, but to ask her to step into the machine. I was not selected as well as an old lady behind us that beep couple of times after walking thru the security check point few times. When my wife walked thru the security check point, the machine wasn't even beeping. I wish I learned about this body scanner sooner, I just realized this after I came back from our vacation, both my wife and I felt so violated. Though the article that I read mentioned that the images will be seen in other location by other TSA staff, I saw the guy that scan my wife walked to an unknown location right after he scan her, I am sure he went and check out her images with his buddy! Just make me sick to think about this. We are law abiding citizen and should not get this treatment. What can we do to stop this, this has to be STOPPED!
I was not given a choice in San Francisco. I would rather take all my clothes off in front of everyone and walk through naked. This is rediculus.
I was a female traveling alone, then told that I had to get into this machine...I had no idea what it was...in the meantime my purse and important travel documents were on the xray machine everyone that was taking their things and I was stuck in this machine. I asked the TSA person if they would take my purse off the belt and put it aside so that no one would walk off with it and he said "NO" like I was some criminal or something. After I got out of this horrible machine I felt nausous, dizzy and violated for two hours. I'm clausterphobic as well so I'm sure this all played a role. I wasn't given an option either it was like I was some sort of criminal. Now that I look back on it, I'm sure someone was getting their jollies back there seeing me virtually naked. There was nothing sticking out of me. I had on a pair of jeans, tee shirt, undies a bra and barefoot. My drivers license was in my back pocket. It was horrible and I hope they don't make this manditory for everyone.
Maryland,
I am sorry this happened to you. I have been writing to my local congressman to complaint about the issue but I have not have any reply from him. My wife and I had the same bad experience and we need to stop this ridiculus strip search by some of the low life male agent in TSA that get a kick seeing beautiful young naked lady! Just to think about it make me furious! We need to stop this nonsense!!!
Yeah because our soldiers don't make enough sacrifices, giving up 99% of their freedoms. Now they dont even have the right to not be seen naked by random people without consent? I'm not flying anywhere. I never liked it to begin with. Let someone tell me I HAVE to get in that machine.. or my 4 year old son. My husband won't have to kill them. I will. My body is for my hubby's eyes only. If someone else wants to see my naked body they better be paying me some damn good money.
So those criminals that are 17 (Not adults yet at 18) are not put through these?
What's the point then?
There are plenty of terrorists aged 17 and younger.
Dump the machines and get more chemical machine testers.
Oh yea, I also don't want my balls or body exposed to ANY radiation from X rays, no matter how "supposedly" small the exposure is.
If they can see through your clothes ( I saw a few pics where leg bones showed), then the Xrays are dangerous enough.
I won't fly any longer.
Hear that TSA and airline companies?
The TSA said originally that none of the machines would be used for primary search, now they LIE about it and do it anyway.
They also said backscatter machines (Most Radiation, and show everything) would not be used, only wave millimiter machines. Another lie by TSA about 2 years ago.
According to James Schear, TSA security director at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, "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,"
TSA's Schear also said of the backscatter machines "You can actually see the sweat on someone's back". Yet the TSA shows blurred pics to lie about what the screeners REALLY see, so the public accepts this invasion of privacy like sheep.
And the pictures the lying TSA shows are not what they really see.
You can see the penis, testicles, vaginas, etc.
unaccompanied minor children are stripped naked in full body scans, airport security are free to gawk and...take pictures? Anybody guarantee they don't have cell phone cameras?
Where can i write to TSA so i can suggest a solution to this predicament? What they need is a second terminal which will differentiate the color/grayscale of the xray output to show only the darker object which most likely would be of interest.
It's incredible how wasteful TSA is. Everyone knows that a dog's nose is more sensitive to detecting explosives that any machine on the the market. Only problem is that they are cheaper and won't make politician's friends rich! The other point is that body bombs release smoke first why aren't there sprinkler system on the planes to neutalize these attempts. It is more than obvious that increasing technology at the points of entry to the "airport" secure areas will not make any real differences, passenger do, they see things and react to them. Give rewards to these people! Forget air marshalls.
I think it is too much in name of security and there should be female for female images but after getting images on computer at air port, what is the gurantee that they will delete it after it and no man will look at images of women. I think they only need their security even if anyone is getting insult, they have no problem. There are so many muslim women and they conceal their bodies from men but after this technology, I think things are going worst and then worst. I think they are voilating basic human rights and they can breach it by revealing your images at any time, how you know about it as after getting images at computer means they can do anything with these images as they can send it to anyone which you do not know. They can save it and say to you that they have deleted it, how you can know about it.
I agree with everyone. This technology is not worth losing our dignity. It has made flying a terrible experience! I share the sentiment of those who have gone through that machine. One can only imagine what the agents are thinking when they run you through those scanners. Those perverts! And to think it could be your wife, your daughter or son, even your mother going through this ordeal... for what? This does little to improve security. And it's such a huge violation of privacy.
There was a scanner which produces a screen of horizontal and vertical lines only similar to a set of frame measuring a centimeter each and captures every curve of any object concealed under any bodys clothes but does not produce an image like the present body scanner.And I know no one will object to this(I wouldn't)type of body scanner.It does not show any of your naked body parts(niples,sexual parts)just contours and body shape,and any disfigured forms should be of suspicion.Why not get this scanner instead and replace that soo revealing body scanner.
Maybe it's time to try gotomeeting.com or buy an eco car and drive everywhere!!!! I think it's easier to visit someone on death row than take a flight these days....:)
I love flying.
I hate the TSA.
So I don't fly any more, even when someone else offers to buy a ticket.
I understand they now even try to control people going on cruises.
What about trains? I could take Amtrak for occasional trips, but are they also under the thumb of the TSA? Or can I bring my carryon along with me without government goons pawing through it & groping me?
As for these strip searches, I won't put up with it. Nor with being groped. The old way was bad enough, and now they've made it even more intrusive?!?!?
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