In an effort to fight criticism over the TSA’s past safety failures, dozens of full body scanners are now arriving at airports on a daily basis. The Transportation Security Administration announced two months ago that money from the federal stimulus would be allocated for the purchase of the airport scanners. Now, airport body scanners are arriving just in time for the holiday season. After 9/11, airport procedures became increasingly tedious, but most passengers understood and complied with all of the added safety measures. That is, until they learned that their naked bodies would be digitally scanned and analyzed before boarding a flight.
The TSA has reported that few passengers are complaining, but the internet tells a different story. Social groups have formed, websites are being created and even lawsuits have been filed by scared and angry frequent fliers. The main problem with the TSA’s policy is that all passengers must either consent to having a full body scan that captures their genitals and other sensitive areas, or an invasive manual body search before taking a flight. Another issue is the fact that nobody at the TSA can confirm with complete certainty if the sensitive body scan images are destroyed immediately or stored for any period of time.
Even more alarming are the recent developments made by biochemists at the University of California, San Francisco, who have raised concerns about radiation exposure. These scientists have gone as far as to have sent letters to the White House outlining exactly how full body scanners can deliver a potent radioactive dose. The Transportation Security Administration denies these claims and likened full body scanners to be just as safe as regular x-rays.
