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http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-06-05-bodyscan_N.htm
Metro Airport body scanners: Security solution or 'virtual strip search'?
Metro Airport body scanners: Security solution or 'virtual strip search'?
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News
ROMULUS -- Security screeners at Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be getting a more intimate view of some airline passengers starting today.
The Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for security screening at the nation's airports, will start using what is called a millimeter wave whole body scanner at Metro's McNamara Terminal. The new technology allows security personnel to see underneath a passenger's clothes to check for any weapons, explosives, drugs or other contraband.
"It's simple," said Robert Ball, federal security director for the TSA's Metro Airport office. "We can now see if passengers are carrying something they shouldn't without having to resort to a pat-down. It's far more accurate."
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The scanners, first tested at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport late last year, produce a picture outlining the human body -- yes, all of it -- in hues of black, white and grey. At the McNamara Terminal, they will be used to scan randomly selected passengers connecting from international to domestic flights or those selected for additional screening beyond the normal pass through a metal detector.
Passengers can opt to bypass the millimeter wave scanner altogether and instead have a pat-down search, which are currently used for additional screenings. TSA officials say more than 90 percent of passengers at the original test site in Phoenix opted for the scanner.
Metro Airport eventually will get more of the machines, though the TSA hasn't decided yet how many. They are expected to be added as the TSA modernizes equipment at existing checkpoints at McNamara and as checkpoints are installed at the North Terminal, scheduled to open Sept. 17.
"Part of this modernization includes adding new X-ray machines that let us see into carry-on luggage from the side as well as the top," Ball said. "We're trying to streamline the process for passengers without sacrificing on security."
The body scanner installations are part of a program that by the end of the summer will add a total 38 machines at 10 of the nation's busiest airports, including Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Albuquerque, Phoenix and Las Vegas. The machines are roughly the size of a small elevator and cost about $150,000 a piece.
Privacy advocates opposed
Some privacy advocates say the scanners, which produce images showing outlines of the nude human body -- clear enough to identify gender -- take the notion of security a step too far.
"This is nothing more than a virtual strip search," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the Technology and Liberty program for the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C. "I don't think most passengers are aware that the images being viewed of them show so much. It's a sad commentary that we feel the need to look at borderline coughographic images to feel safe."
Steinhardt said the use of such scanners at airports could open the door for their use in other venues like sporting arenas and government offices.
TSA spokesman Elio Montenegro said the pilot test programs so far haven't caused problems for passengers, though curiosity remains high, he said.
He said his agency has a number of directives in place to pacify privacy concerns. For example, faces are blurred out in the images, which are viewed in a room well out of sight of the scanner itself. The images are immediately discarded as soon as a passenger exits the screening area.
Machine sure to get noticed
Metro's sleek machine, which some travelers say resembles something from Star Trek, is sure to attract attention.
Passengers step into the scanner when directed by a TSA screener and stand with feet apart and hands in the air. The TSA screener by the machine contacts the machine's operator, located in a room out of sight from the machine, by radio to begin the scan.
Two black bars swirl around the perimeter of the machine, bouncing millimeter waves -- just like those emitted from cell phones, televisions and even the sun -- off the passenger. The waves are read and then translated into an image of the person as if they were undressed.
Human skin takes on a metallic tone in the high-resolution images, which distinguish objects like weaponry, stashes of drugs and other contraband items as darker than the skin itself.
If nothing suspicious is found during the screening, the operator sends a green "clear" signal to a screen attached to the machine, and the passenger is free to go. A red signal flags the passenger for an additional pat-down screening.
'Look at whatever they want'
Travelers interviewed Monday at Metro Airport said the new equipment seemed more invasive than previous methods used by the TSA, but said the security was worth it.
"If I'm safer, then they can look at whatever they want," said Daniel Richards of Royal Oak, a 46-year-old frequent flier. "I'm glad the technology is advancing so quickly."
Other passengers took a more humorous view of what some privacy advocates are referring to as the "nudie scanners."
"If they're going to touch you anyway, why not give them a peek?" quipped Celia Haywoode, 76, of Toronto, who was arriving to visit family in Southfield. "At my age, I'm honored someone's willing to look."
Metro Airport body scanners: Security solution or 'virtual strip search'?
Metro Airport body scanners: Security solution or 'virtual strip search'?
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News
ROMULUS -- Security screeners at Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be getting a more intimate view of some airline passengers starting today.
The Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for security screening at the nation's airports, will start using what is called a millimeter wave whole body scanner at Metro's McNamara Terminal. The new technology allows security personnel to see underneath a passenger's clothes to check for any weapons, explosives, drugs or other contraband.
"It's simple," said Robert Ball, federal security director for the TSA's Metro Airport office. "We can now see if passengers are carrying something they shouldn't without having to resort to a pat-down. It's far more accurate."
Advertisement
The scanners, first tested at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport late last year, produce a picture outlining the human body -- yes, all of it -- in hues of black, white and grey. At the McNamara Terminal, they will be used to scan randomly selected passengers connecting from international to domestic flights or those selected for additional screening beyond the normal pass through a metal detector.
Passengers can opt to bypass the millimeter wave scanner altogether and instead have a pat-down search, which are currently used for additional screenings. TSA officials say more than 90 percent of passengers at the original test site in Phoenix opted for the scanner.
Metro Airport eventually will get more of the machines, though the TSA hasn't decided yet how many. They are expected to be added as the TSA modernizes equipment at existing checkpoints at McNamara and as checkpoints are installed at the North Terminal, scheduled to open Sept. 17.
"Part of this modernization includes adding new X-ray machines that let us see into carry-on luggage from the side as well as the top," Ball said. "We're trying to streamline the process for passengers without sacrificing on security."
The body scanner installations are part of a program that by the end of the summer will add a total 38 machines at 10 of the nation's busiest airports, including Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Albuquerque, Phoenix and Las Vegas. The machines are roughly the size of a small elevator and cost about $150,000 a piece.
Privacy advocates opposed
Some privacy advocates say the scanners, which produce images showing outlines of the nude human body -- clear enough to identify gender -- take the notion of security a step too far.
"This is nothing more than a virtual strip search," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the Technology and Liberty program for the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C. "I don't think most passengers are aware that the images being viewed of them show so much. It's a sad commentary that we feel the need to look at borderline coughographic images to feel safe."
Steinhardt said the use of such scanners at airports could open the door for their use in other venues like sporting arenas and government offices.
TSA spokesman Elio Montenegro said the pilot test programs so far haven't caused problems for passengers, though curiosity remains high, he said.
He said his agency has a number of directives in place to pacify privacy concerns. For example, faces are blurred out in the images, which are viewed in a room well out of sight of the scanner itself. The images are immediately discarded as soon as a passenger exits the screening area.
Machine sure to get noticed
Metro's sleek machine, which some travelers say resembles something from Star Trek, is sure to attract attention.
Passengers step into the scanner when directed by a TSA screener and stand with feet apart and hands in the air. The TSA screener by the machine contacts the machine's operator, located in a room out of sight from the machine, by radio to begin the scan.
Two black bars swirl around the perimeter of the machine, bouncing millimeter waves -- just like those emitted from cell phones, televisions and even the sun -- off the passenger. The waves are read and then translated into an image of the person as if they were undressed.
Human skin takes on a metallic tone in the high-resolution images, which distinguish objects like weaponry, stashes of drugs and other contraband items as darker than the skin itself.
If nothing suspicious is found during the screening, the operator sends a green "clear" signal to a screen attached to the machine, and the passenger is free to go. A red signal flags the passenger for an additional pat-down screening.
'Look at whatever they want'
Travelers interviewed Monday at Metro Airport said the new equipment seemed more invasive than previous methods used by the TSA, but said the security was worth it.
"If I'm safer, then they can look at whatever they want," said Daniel Richards of Royal Oak, a 46-year-old frequent flier. "I'm glad the technology is advancing so quickly."
Other passengers took a more humorous view of what some privacy advocates are referring to as the "nudie scanners."
"If they're going to touch you anyway, why not give them a peek?" quipped Celia Haywoode, 76, of Toronto, who was arriving to visit family in Southfield. "At my age, I'm honored someone's willing to look."
