Poll of the Week: Full-Body Scanners

[SarahS]

In the wake of a foiled terrorist attack on Christmas Day, full-body scanners at the airport have been a hot topic of conversation. How do you feel about the new scanners? Vote in our poll!

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What's Wrong with Airport Security (and What to Do About It)

[LSKahn]

Many of the things done by Homeland Security are done to create the veneer of making us safer. Most of them are nonsense. Where there is a will, there is a way. I have been body scanned once (I think it was in LA when I was flying international, but I fly a lot and can't remember definitely for sure). The body scanners are safe, but anyone who really wants to get around them will make a stab at it. If enough people do make stabs at it, someone will get through.

Terrorist attacks are just one of the hazards of modern life. The terrorists won't "win" if "winning" means throwing modern life back to some sort of 14th century style Caliphate. However, if someone is willing to die in the act of killing others, there is little that can be done to stop him.

And Washington, DC, has turned into an armed camp when it comes to getting into major tourist sites. All that has happened is major inconvenience to everyone and really no added safety for the tourist visitors. An example is the shooting recently at the Holocaust Museum. If a terrorist cannot get into a building, what is to prevent him from shooting in the line to get in? I have been saying that that is the obvious weak link for a long time. And then the shooter did exactly that and killed a guard as he tried to enter the building.

[soliteyah]

Eh, I don't care too much what I have to do to get through security -- just let me on that plane. That said, hopefully there's no health risk (from what I've read, there doesn't seem to be much), and hopefully they actually WORK!

[blnpilot]

This story is so slanted I suspect it is either a paid ad masquerading as an opinion piece or the author himself is either a shill or a paid contributor for the naked body scanner manufacturers or TSA or some other government agency.

First off, I'm not buying the silly underwear bomber story. Who was the "well dressed man" that walked the "bomber" past security checks without a passport and put him on the plane? Where is the security cam video of him? Why haven't we heard any more from the lawyer passenger from NY and his wife and others that witnessed this? Who was the man that video taped the incident on the flight and where is that video? A one way ticket paid in cash? A frantic tip from his father? Come on, lets start working on the criminals themselves and profiling known suspect groups and stop victimizing innocent travelers. But then this is all about gaining control over every one of us, isn't it?

Almost everybody, (90%) I talk to is vehemently opposed to an electronic strip search via these naked body scanners once they find out the truth about them.

The truth is they have the resolution and capability to count every freckle on your body. The machine needs a hard drive to operate which means the images are stored and if they are viewed remotely it means your body image is transmittable. Any facial blurring is something that is added after the scan and thus can be removed. If the images can be manipulated one can also zoom in on them. It is also a simple matter to add facial recognition and a name to the image.

The truth is there is no evidence that either the backscatter or millimeter wave (microwave) scanners are safe on a long term basis, simply because they have not been around long enough to know for sure. The backscatter machines emit "ionizing radiation" (think x-rays) look it up for yourself. The other emits low power microwave radiation.

If you don't mind having some DNA fractured or some free radical cellular damage you probably won't suffer major adverse health effects or die from the exposure as a casual air traveler. The security workers, on the other hand, will suffer long term health damage from prolonged exposure to these machines, some experts are predicting.

The thing for you to remember is, if we allow these things to be installed at airports, it's only a matter of time before they will be used everywhere. Court houses will install them, then Government buildings, then amusement parks, movie theaters and shopping malls. As the price and size comes down, as happens with all e-tech devises, they will one day be found everywhere. Police cars will scan and id people in the field, if you own a business where security is needed, you'll be able to subscribe to a service that can id your customers, everyone will be a suspect and instantly strip searched.

I will not submit to this outrage. I will stop flying commercial if need be. I will get active and protest these machines to anyone and everyone. Contrary to widely held beliefs, you can fight City Hall, and win.

If we don't stop this now, there is no end to what they will try next. From ridiculous liquids and nail clipper bans, next we will be wearing Tazer ID bracelets in order to fly. http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/04/can-this-little/

Personal privacy, health and the principals of common law are at stake. We own ourselves, it's practically all we have left.

[bannard]

There is something airlines can do to cut down on congestion, time spent at security and the amount of stuff that travellers try to bring on board the plane - follow their own carry on guidelines. If all travellers were forced to meet size and amount of carry on many things would improve - including the ability of security personnel to deal with each traveller and their "stuff". I recently travelled to Florida, from Canada, and back again. We were not allowed carry on items other than a specific list of personal items and my purse could be no bigger than 10x12. My purse was not only scanned but hand searched. Plenty of space on the plane and no headaches finding space in overhead bins. It was kind of pleasant. Contrast that to the return trip. Many travellers carried at least 3 large bags - and purse sizes were the same size as many small suitcases. Confusion at security as laptops were removed and items were forgotten at the security point. Boarding the plane took forever as all that stuff was stowed. I even saw one traveller packing a coffee maker into the overhead bin! No wonder security staff might miss something. One carry on (of a specific size) and one personal item (purse, etc.) would seem to be a simple requirement for people to follow.