CAIR WARNS OF INVASIVE BODY SCANS AT U.S. AIRPORTS

CAIR WARNS OF INVASIVE BODY SCANS AT U.S. AIRPORTS


Muslim group reminds passengers of their right to request an alternative measure



(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/13/08) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today warned American Muslims and others concerned with personal privacy of a security procedure recently implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that scans full-body images of passengers through their clothing, revealing intimate body parts to screeners.


According to USA Today, the body-scanning machines are being used on randomly-selected passengers at airports in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, Albuquerque, and New York’s JFK airport. They are scheduled to be installed at airports in Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Miami, and Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. this month.
SEE: 10 Airports Install Body Scanners (USA Today)

The TSA website describes the process through which the machines bounce harmless radio waves off the passenger’s body, which constructs a three-dimensional image that is projected on a monitor in the security scanner’s room. The TSA characterizes the procedure as a “voluntary alternative to a pat-down,” and says it blurs passengers’ faces and does not store the images to protect privacy.
SEE: Whole Body Imaging - Millimeter Wave

However, concerns have been raised over the level of detail shown by the machines, which are capable of projecting graphic images of a person’s body, revealing private body parts and other intimate details.
SEE: ACLU Backgrounder on Body Scanners and ‘Virtual Strip Searches’