The scanners "work by beaming electromagnetic waves on to passengers while they stand in a booth. A virtual three-dimensional image is then created from the reflected energy." "The authorities say it will speed up security checks by quickly revealing any concealed weapons or explosives. The full body scans will also show up breast enlargements, body piercings and a clear black-and-white outline of passengers' genitals." I'm creeped out beyond belief.
3 comments:
Wow that is creepy... and sexy. I was struck by the images, I find oddly beautiful. As Art it is quite interesting. As part of a government program to in sure "safety", it does seem evil and a clear violation of the right to be protected against "unreasonable searches". I am perhaps willing to go as far as to fly naked, just not at gun point. To quote a dead white guy "Give me liberty or give me death, motherfucker." or something like that.
This also poses a major issue for transgender passengers who upon passing through the scanner might be found to not conform to the gender listed on their IDs (or would be considered to be in disguise), and therefore be considered a security threat. This type of machine would force the disclosure of sensitive medical information and even if not considered a threat, it would allow other people to view something that is private and would take away a person's ability to decide when and to whom to disclose. I'm not sure I feel comfortable participating in something like this. I know the trans community has been upset since the discussion of machines like these were announced, but will there be enough protest by the public at large? Or are enough people ok with any measure of invasion as long as it makes them feel safer?
These are already in effect in certain airports. I went through one of those in Atlanta last year not realizing what they could see. It is only for people who beep through the initial metal detector (I beep every time because of a metal hip). The person analyzing the image sits in a private booth away from security so that they do not see you in person. However it is within everyone's right to ask for a hand check with the metal detector wand, which is what I did on my way back through Atlanta.
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