Had a few extra donuts on that vacation? Hoping no one will notice if you wear that baggy shirt? Well, the new body scanners being used on an experimental basis at some U.S. airports apparently can see right through the clothing. Good for security. Not so good for privacy. And so much for hiding. Some legislators think the scanners are too much and are trying to ban them. Until a decision comes, hold off on the extra donut.
By Chris Strohm
CongressDaily
WASHINGTON — House lawmakers expect to take up legislation Wednesday that would prohibit government security officials from using controversial whole-body imaging machines to screen airplane passengers at primary airport checkpoints.
The machines are being tested at 19 airports by the Transportation Security Administration, with six airports allowing passengers to voluntarily go through them at primary security checkpoints and the rest using scanners at secondary checkpoints.
The machines use millimeter-wave technology that shows a three-dimensional image of a passenger without clothes. The images allow security officials to determine whether somebody is hiding threatening objects under their clothes.
