Airport body scanner controversy by Barbora Misakova

Some people think that privacy is more important than safety. And it is just annoying me! The Transportation Security Administration announced that nine more U. S. airports will receive body-scanning technology. This step was just a logical reaction to alleged attempted bombing on Christmas Day. But civil libertarians and the American Civil Liberties Union sees it just as a violation of passengers’ privacy. These machines can detect hidden explosives and other weapons that could threaten many lives, but ACLU denounced the screening as a “virtual strip search”. I would like to know, if they called it like that when they would be on board of a plane together! with a terrorist prepared to blow it all up. All these scanning machines will now be in a primary position, what means they will be the default screening equipment passengers face at a checkpoint. The whole body scanning will be done in 25 seconds. What is more, blaming it from privacy violation is not justified, as much more information can be obtained by X-ray of carry-on bags – checking method we are already used on. I bet that passengers afraid of terrorist attacks will see it just like Michelle Carrier did, when she said: “As long as they maintain proper control over the situation, I have no problem with it. Freedom’s important, but this is one of the prices you pay for safety.” The samples of images from a machine can be seen on the TSA’s Web site and I have to say, there is nothing wrong with it. It is just a simple outline of your body. When you pass a scan, you will not have to walk through a metal detector or other security equipment! and in addition to that, you can be calm, as there is no luna! tic with bomb on his chest traveling with you.

related story (sgx16689): http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20100305/ap_tr_ge/us_trave...

by Barbora Misakova for SigEx Ventures (http://sigexventures.com)

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