by admin on March 16, 2011
The Transportation Security Administration is re-analyzing the radiation levels of X-ray body scanners installed in airports nationwide, after testing produced dramatically higher-than-expected results.
The TSA, which has deployed at least 500 body scanners to at least 78 airports, said Tuesday the machines meet all safety standards and would remain in operation despite a “calculation error” in safety studies. The flawed results showed radiation levels 10 times higher than expected.
via Threat Level.
Tagged as:
body scanners
by admin on November 5, 2010
By David Kravets Email Author November 2, 2010
A leading privacy group is urging a federal appeals court to suspend the government’s program of introducing full-body imaging machines at airports across the country.
The Transportation Security Administration began deploying 450 of them in March to dozens of airports nationwide.
“The suspicionless search of all airport travelers in this most invasive way violates the reasonableness standard contained in the Fourth Amendment,” Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said Tuesday. He said the devices, costing $1 billion, were designed “to store and record and transmit the unfiltered image of the naked human body. ”
via Group Demands Immediate Halt of Full-Body Airport Scanners | Threat Level | Wired.com.
Tagged as:
body scanners
by admin on November 1, 2010
LONDON: At a time when airports around the globe are planning to install full body scanners to maximise security, the US Congress has been warned that the X-ray imaging could increase the risk of skin cancer in air passengers.
The body scanners emit radiation up to 20 times more powerful than previously thought and could be particularly risky for children, said Dr David Brenner, head of Columbia University’s center for radiological research.
Although the “individual risks” associated with X-ray backscatter scanners are probably extremely small, it could multiply with the number of scanning, he said.
via Airport body scanners may cause cancer: Scientist – The Economic Times.
Tagged as:
airports,
body scanners
by admin on March 15, 2010
Jason Knowles
March 15, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — Critics call it an invasion of privacy, but most passengers at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport told ABC 7 the full body scanner is OK because it improves safety.
The high-tech security system called the Advanced Imaging Technology Unit is being used in United’s Terminal One at O’Hare International Airport. It takes 5 to 8 seconds for the system to scan a passenger. Officials say the body scanners safely screen passengers for metallic and nonmetallic threats, including explosives. But critics argue the scanners invade privacy because of its ability to see through clothing.
Full body scanner in use at O’Hare Airport | Does safety outweigh privacy issues? – 3/15/10 – Chicago News – abc7chicago.com.
Tagged as:
body scanners
