Spy Review

The terror threat in air is very real as evinced by the recent attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian accused of trying to ignite explosives aboard a Northwest Airlines jet. If he had gone through the full body scanner, the explosives he was carrying would most likely have been detected.

If metal detector and x-ray scanners don’t work, if strip searches are not effective, then perhaps these see-through scanners will ensure a greater degree of safety in the air. However, most people, when asked, said they preferred to be scanned rather than face a terror threat in the air.

In the US, the Transportation Security Administration is planning to buy at least 150 machines which will be able to scan people thoroughly. Albuquerque, N.M.; Las Vegas, Miami; San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Tulsa, Okla airports already use these. In 13 other states these machines are used if the metal detector is set off. Canada is going to buy 44 machines, which will initially be installed at Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax airports. In the UK, Heathrow will be the first airport to get the scanner.

BAA, which runs six UK airports, said it would now install the machines ‘as soon as is practical’ at Heathrow.

Jay Stanley, public education director for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Technology and Liberty Program, said the machines essentially perform ‘virtual strip searches that see through your clothing and reveal the size and shape of your body.’

‘As a society, we’re going to have to figure out the balance between personal privacy and the need to secure an aircraft,’ said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. ‘And there is no easy answer.’

Peter Bibring, from the American Civil Liberties Union said that safeguards were needed if the technology was not going to be abused. The images are extremely clear and there is a real concern that they could be misused in the case of celebrities and other famous people.

On its part, the TSA says that the person viewing the image will be in another room (and viewing a fuzzy face) and not actually see the person while the person who is seeing the individual being screened will not view the image. Also the images are supposed to be deleted immediately.