The federal government plans this month to launch the nation’s first airport screening system that takes potentially revealing X-ray photos of travelers in an effort to find bombs and other weapons.
Transportation Security Administration screeners at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will test a “backscatter” machine that could vastly improve weapons detection but has been labeled a “virtual strip search” by the American Civil Liberties Union. Backscatter can show clear images of nude bodies.
At Phoenix and another yet-to-be-decided test airport, the machines will blur or shade images to obscure body parts and medical devices. The TSA also will look at using the machines in subways.
“It’s time to get them out and get feedback from [screeners] and the traveling public,” said Randy Null, TSA assistant administrator. The TSA has been considering the machines since 2002 while struggling with privacy issues.
Via USAToday
Post a Comment