Testing Grounds The latest industry being outsourced to India is clinical drug trials. And any number of tragic things can happen on the way to your medicine cabinet.
A worker of the company that makes the ProVision scanners demonstrates what security screeners will see thanks to the devices. Civil liberties advocates equate the scans to electronic strip searches. Others disagree.
Airport security officers might examine an image of everything under your clothes — or nearly everything — in the not-too-distant future.
Tampa International Airport will receive four new whole-body imaging machines from the Transportation Security Administration in the next 30 days. TSA officers should begin scanning travelers for hidden weapons and explosives within the next few months, said John Van Dyke, a spokesman for the agency in Tampa. "Our goal is to be proficient with them before the Super Bowl," in Tampa in February, he said.
Ten airports nationwide are testing the body scans on randomly chosen travelers or those who don't pass an initial screening. One hundred twenty machines, manufactured by L-3 Communications in St. Petersburg under the brand name ProVision, will be deployed in 24 U.S. airports by year end.
TSA officials say the technology is a good alternative to physically patting down travelers. The machine also catches plastic and ceramic weapons that pass through metal detectors.
"Passenger imaging technologies enable TSA to screen quickly and unobtrusively for prohibited items including weapons, explosives and other metallic and nonmetallic objects … without physical contact," said TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.
Civil liberties advocates call the scanners "an electronic strip search" and worry their use will spread to other public venues.
"You don't use the most intrusive equipment as your first line of defense," said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
ProVision machines, which sell for $150,000 each, bounce harmless radio frequency signals off travelers standing in a booth as they raise their hands. A TSA officer in another room or a booth examines the image. If a suspicious object appears, the officer calls a colleague to physically search the passenger.
The TSA says its procedures protect people's privacy. Faces are blurred on images. Neither officers looking at the image nor the subjects see each other. Images are deleted after viewing, and officers can't "save, store, print or transmit" them, said TSA spokesman Christopher White.
He describes the images as robotic, like someone in a tight-fitting leotard. "You can see detail, but it's not a naked picture," White said.
Attorney Chris Calabrese with the American Civil Liberties Union in New York disagrees. "It reveals explicit details of people's bodies and medical details like colostomy bags," he said. He doubts the TSA can protect images from those seeking to sell pictures of celebrities or people with odd body shapes.
Those who refuse to go through the scanners must submit to pat-down searches.
One benefit might play well in Florida. It's a way to confirm that travelers who say their artificial hips set off the metal detectors aren't telling a fib, White said.
Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3384.
[Last modified: Aug 13, 2008 08:11 PM]
Comments on this article
by cheryl
Aug 13, 2008 8:11 PM
how many of these do we need to buy, then they are "scrapped".
by Bennett
Aug 13, 2008 1:45 PM
I have no fear whatsoever concerning this method of searching. I know others will shout "invasion" but I would gladly be subjected to this type of search. I want to be safe up there!
by MarkoffCheney
Aug 11, 2008 3:05 PM
This country needs to wake up. When will people ban together and take the power away from morons like Jill and Tim and Steve. The terrorists have won, and they have recruited the majority of Americans in their Anti-Freedom campaign.
by Leo
Aug 11, 2008 12:22 PM
Current screening is a dog and pony show. They cannot detect some weapons that can be concealed in areas that are commonly not checked. Yes, you may feel violated, but this instument is necessary for a thorough screening for all types of weapons.
by paul
Aug 11, 2008 12:22 PM
Hey mumbles, are you really that clueless? How will it do that if the scann only "sees" under the clothing and no further? Get a grip.
by Chris
Aug 11, 2008 12:22 PM
Why not have travelers apply for a security clearance like for a sensitive job and just skip all this intrusive search nonsense.
by Mike
Aug 11, 2008 12:22 PM
Nazism didn't happen all at once. It was a gradual evolution. You people who think it is not a big deal are insane and a danger to us all.
by Lenore
Aug 11, 2008 12:21 PM
It's just a x-ray.Some of you people act like your "nude" photos are going to end up online with your personal info.Get over yourselves.If you don't like the idea then go Greyhound.
by Honor
Aug 11, 2008 12:21 PM
Good idea. Flying is not a right. Next time, though, let's see a tally of whether more women then men were scanned. And what gender scanned them.
by Paint
Aug 10, 2008 12:59 PM
I'm disgustedd by the very idea of this.. I mean, look to the sample image; you can clearly see the woman's belly chub, and you can see nipples; if it shows enough that they blur faces, it shows enough to be indecent. What about religious modesty?
by cap
Aug 10, 2008 12:25 PM
As if the discontinued blower machine wasn't bad enough. "Ma'am, you might want to hold your shirt down, but you don't have to." If you didn't hold your clothing down the puff of air was enough to lift a t-shirt high enough to display your wares.
by unbelievable
Aug 10, 2008 12:21 PM
images hey? like these men/women aren't going to get off on looking at women/men scanned while doing their job! I bet there will be an increase in job applications for security at the TIA!
by Frank
Aug 10, 2008 12:20 PM
I wonder how it will effect people with
by JT
Aug 10, 2008 10:14 AM
This is over the top. Instead of securing the borders,preventing visa overstays and doing background checks on those entering the country we are going to profile Americans and subject ourselves to this. No. Like others I will do all I can to not fly.
by PASCO PETE
Aug 10, 2008 10:14 AM
OH STOP COMPLAINING ITS NO BIG DEAL AND HOW DO I APPLY FOR THE JOB TO WORK THE SCANNER AND DO I GET TO PICK WHO I SCAN ? ALL I'M TRYING TO DO IS PROVE A POINT THERE ARE SO MANY PERVERTED PEOPLE OUT THERE AT LEAST LET PEOPLE OF SAME SEX DO SCANNING
by KE
Aug 10, 2008 10:13 AM
This is a invasion of privacy. I can understand the safety but this is going too far. Only your spouse,etc and dr should be able to see your body.Trust me they will do it to all not a select few. Things are bad enough,now this. All will lose money.NG
by pat
Aug 9, 2008 9:26 AM
I don't care if someone sees my body. If it means less time through security. I'll do it. I ride the subway twice a day. What ever they NYPD needs to do to keep me safe, I'm for it.
by TooMuch
Aug 9, 2008 9:26 AM
Who decide what person raise the alarm?
Do they have a criteria? or depend on somebody else mood of the day?
by Habilis
Aug 9, 2008 9:26 AM
Their goal is to use them by the Super Bowl? So, they are going to use them at TIA for passengers EXITING their aircraft?
by Ken
Aug 9, 2008 9:26 AM
Well thats the end of flying for me, Ill keep my clothes on, but Ill work the booth , should be quite a job, they wont see weapons when they are stareing at something else.
by Laura
Aug 9, 2008 9:26 AM
Privacy is one big issue here, but I am even more concerned with the safety of this thing. Even though I first read about this being used in PHX about a year ago, they have not tested this thing long enough to claim it is safe. Trust NO ONE.
by voxy
Aug 9, 2008 9:25 AM
you could take over any venue with a number 2 pencil. L3 is a bush company. As in NEOCON. It's received tons of homeland security money which is how they can afford to give these machines away. Take away our pencils QUICK>>
by Butler
Aug 8, 2008 8:43 PM
Too bad a man wasn't used as the example. It would be even more alarming to see just how much anatomy is visible. Some of will risk death for our liberty. THAT'S AMERICAN! Hey Steve, how about YOU don't fly?
by Butler
Aug 8, 2008 8:39 PM
Too bad a man wasn't used as the example. It would be even more alarming to see just how much anatomy is visible. Some of us are willing to risk death for our liberty. THAT'S AMERICAN! Hey Steve, how about YOU don't fly?
by KML
Aug 8, 2008 8:39 PM
Gosh! They'll actually find out I'm human...
by Mariella
Aug 8, 2008 8:39 PM
The woman's panties must be leather, like her boots, or else the machine would see through them like it sees through the rest of the fabric she's wearing, right? If we don?t wear leather undies, the images would be even more invasive than this demo.
by JV
Aug 8, 2008 7:25 PM
The public needs to educate themselves and realize that this is for their own safety. I'm all for anything that is going to keep me and my loved ones safe on a plane. Many people have chosen to forget what happened to this country on 9/11.
by qwerty2
Aug 8, 2008 7:22 PM
This idea is insane. If they post the company-provided image at the security check and give folks the choice, everyone will opt for the pat-down. Except maybe Paris Hilton.
by John
Aug 8, 2008 7:18 PM
Freedom is not free. I have no problem as long as the scanner has no contact whatsoever with the passengers and no images are saved.
by Glenn
Aug 8, 2008 5:14 PM
Re: pervert issue. Those people can see the real stuff on the internet. And yes, you all reading this all know what I'm talking about...don't lie!
by Mitch
Aug 8, 2008 5:14 PM
Way too intrusive!!!
by John
Aug 8, 2008 5:14 PM
"Those who refuse to go through the scanners must submit to pat-down searches. " Stop your crying already...just get pat-down. And we need to get over the PC crap and start racial profiling!
by Glenn
Aug 8, 2008 5:03 PM
right in the article: Those who refuse to go through the scanners must submit to pat-down searches.
by Steve
Aug 8, 2008 5:02 PM
I fly every week. If they want to perform an actual strip search thats fine with me, whatever is safest. This seems like a great idea.
by Bruce
Aug 8, 2008 5:02 PM
Everyone is missing the obvious, we need to put a piece of tin foil shaped like a gun, and sew it into our clothes - this should be protected speech against unreasonable government privacy invasion - Overload the system!
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