English 1 Essay 3 Invasion of Privacy or Preventing Terrorism

Valerie Rueda

Prof. Rowley

English 1

02 June 2014

Invasion of Privacy or Preventing Terrorism?

Technology is intended to make our daily lives easier and improve our lifestyle. Some people are all for technological advancement while others are skeptical about it. Controversy has always surrounded the necessity and privacy of full body scanners used in airports all over the world. Full body scanners are intended to make the life of air travelers easier, reduce the time it take to search them and prevent terrorists from smuggling lethal weapons on board a plane. They're even used for medical reasons, for those who cannot have a metal detector used on them. They also give flyers the option of not being physically touched by security in a pat down. Although these airport scanners show virtual stripped down full body images, it is in order for security to make sure that nothing is being hidden beneath clothing. Some people may feel uncomfortable with the fact that a virtual naked image of them is being shown on a screen. It is a mere fifteen seconds of being uncomfortable in a full body airport scanner which detects potential terrorist risk that in turn save people’s lives,  reduce the risk of terrorism and the smuggling of drugs across borders. 

A full body scanner is a machine that is able to detect objects on a person’s body for safety purposes when going through airport security. This machine was introduced into airports in 2007 after a series of various airliner bombing attempts in the early 2000’s. It was intended to benefit the safety of passengers and the efficiency of security procedures. Full body scanners prevent travelers from going through security, from having to physically remove clothing, and from making physical contact in a pat down. Controversy surrounded pat downs for a while when they were introduced as a security procedure due to invasion of privacy, and the violation of having another person physically touch you. Then, the creation of metal detectors were introduced; these now are less efficient seeing as terrorists and drug smugglers were able to come up with ways to pass through them undetected. But passing through a full body scanner makes it practically impossible to hide anything. In an article on TODAY.com, aviation security expert Charles Slepian says, “An individual, a suicide bomber, could bring on the explosives with them, going right through a screening station at the airport because they go through a metal detector and the metal detector would not detect the plastic explosive the way a full body scanner would,”(para 5). There is only one method that TSA cannot prevent, but they are able to prevent all other methods of smuggling things in hidden places, such as traveler’s luggage, in their clothing, or taped to their bodies, as well as hidden in the cut out soles in shoes, inside belts and the rims of hats and other inconspicuous places. In a Q&A in the article “Just What Can They See?! Your Full Body Scanner Questions Answered” by The Associated Press in the Daily News, they said “Generally, the machines can't find items stashed in a body cavity. So the scanners wouldn't stop at least one common smuggling method used by drug traffickers” in response to the question “ What can [full body scanners] not find?”(para 6). Compared to the metal detectors, full body scanners are way more efficient in finding hidden objects. Metal detectors have a handful of faults in not being able to detect certain items whereas full body scanners only have one. 

According to The Washington Post in the article, “How Full-Body Scanners Work” there are two types of full body scanners that use different methods in order to produce images to effectively scan passengers. The first is what is known as Millimeter wave scanners, which uses extremely high frequency radio waves that are processed by a computer to produce a detailed image of passengers (para 2). The second are Backscatter scanners that use high energy rays  that scatter when they hit materials allowing computers to produce a detailed image and detect substances such as explosives, plastic weapons and drugs on terrorists and drug mules (para 4). Both scanners, unlike X-Rays, are able to strip away layers of clothing and accurately map the images of bodies. Some people question the safety that surrounds these scanners in relation to how much radiation those who go through them are exposed to. As stated in the article, “Airport Body Scanners Pass Company’s Radiation Tests” in USA Today by Alison Young and Christopher Schnaars. “the Health Physics Society, passengers on a flight from New York to Los Angeles are exposed to about 4,000 microrem of cosmic radiation and a chest X-ray can deliver 10,000 microrem. The full-body scanners deliver less than 5 microrem of radiation per screening.”(para 6). There is little debate in the safety of these machines and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), are constantly regulating and advancing their machines so they may be as harmless as possible to those who go through them. The TSA, has completely gotten rid of full body Backscatter scanners in all airports. Therefore, airports are now only using Millimeter scanners, according to the New York Daily News, in the article “TSA Has Completely Removed Revealing X-Ray Scanners From America’s Airports” effective as of May 2013, due to the fact that these machines do not involve ionizing radiation which is safer for passengers and does not produce the controversial and realistic body scans on screen(para 4).

Of course, privacy was a major concern when these machines were introduced. The New York Daily News reported in the article by The Associated Press, “Just What Can They See?! Your Full Body Scanner Questions Answered” that the full body scanners implemented by the TSA did produce detailed images of one’s body when the scan was taken, but procedures and regulations were in place to protect the privacy of those who went through them (para 11). In order to safeguard privacy, the system is operated by two security personnel. One security officer operates the machine by assisting the passenger, whereas the other is blocked off from sight in another room in which the images are not viewable to the public or others. The officer assisting the passenger cannot view the image and the officer viewing the image does not see the passenger. If the officer who is viewing the scan sees something of suspicion, they then notify the officer with the passenger to investigate and do further screening. These machines are unable to store or print images and the officers operating them are not allowed to take cameras or cellphones into the screening area. Of course, many passengers still feel as if these machines are an extreme invasion of privacy. Viewed as an indecent virtual strip down,  it caused many problems. Due to the high controversy surrounding these machines, despite all the safety procedures put in place to protect those who go through the scanners, the TSA removed all revealing X-Ray scanners from American Airports as of May 2013. This was the real reason for Backscatter scanners being removed from all airports due to their capability of producing nearly naked images. As said in the New York Daily News article, “TSA Has Completely Removed Revealing X-Ray Scanners From Americas Airports” by Carol Kuruvilla, “American airports are now using Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), a system [Millimeter wave scanners] that presents TSA security officers with a generic outline of a body. The outline is identical for everyone and potential threats will pop up on the screen as small yellow boxes”(para 3). No longer do passengers have to worry about invasive images of their bodies being put on screen. Passengers still have complete privacy while knowing that nearly nude images are no longer produced on screen and that they have an alternative option to invasion of personal space in pat-downs and not having to go through metal detectors for those who have surgical metal in them from previous accidents or a pace-maker that can be affected by the metal detectors.

There are many misconceptions about full-body scanners. Many people would like to jump to the conclusion and say that these scanners do more harm than good when in reality it is the opposite. People are always reluctant to accept new technological advancements; there are some technologies that can harm us but I certainly do not think this is one of them. Backed by all the facts and research, it is more than obvious all the good that these full body scanners do. It helps prevent the transportation of drugs across borders, finding explosives and preventing terrorism and hijacking of planes. It is within safety regulations of the state and is made  suited to protect the privacy of passengers who go through them. It also gives those who prefer not to be touched by security the option of a hands free and “virtual” version of a pat-down. Full body scanners in airports are intended to secure the safety of those coming in and out of airports  and that is exactly what their sole purpose is. It is not to harm you or invade your privacy but rather to safeguard our travels. 

 

Works Cited

Berkowitz, Bonnie  and Laura Stanton. "How Full-body Scanners Work." Washington Post. The 

       Washington Post, 04 Jan. 2010. Web.14 May 2014. 

Kuruvilla, Carol. "TSA Has Completely Removed Revealing X-ray Scanners from America's
Airports." NY Daily News. NY Daily News, 31 May 2013. Web. 14 May 2014.

Lewis, George. "Airport Detectors Still Vulnerable to Terrorists." TODAY.com. MSNBC
Interactive, 8 Sept. 2004. Web. 14 May 2014.

The Associated Press. "Just What Can They See?! Your Full Body Scanner Questions
Answered." NY Daily News. N.p., 31 Dec. 2009. Web. 14 May 2014.

Young, Alison, and Christopher Schnaars USA TODAY. "Airport Body Scanners Pass
Company's Radiation Tests." USA Today. Gannett, 03 May 2013. Web. 14 May 2014.