Protest mounts against full body scans at Airports

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Airport security bares all, or does it?

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Privacy advocates plan to call on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to suspend use of "whole-body imaging," the airport security technology that critics say performs "a virtual strip search" and produces "naked" pictures of passengers, CNN has learned.

The national campaign, which will gather signatures from organizations and relevant professionals, is set to launch this week with the hope that it will go "viral," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which plans to lead the charge.

"People need to know what's happening, with no sugar-coating and no spinning," said Coney, who is also coordinator of the Privacy Coalition, a conglomerate of 42 member organizations. She expects other groups to sign on in the push for the technology's suspension until privacy safeguards are in place.

Right now, without regulations on what the Transportation Security Administration does with this technology, she said, "We don't have the policy to hold them to what they say. They're writing their own rule book at this point."

The machines "detect both metallic and nonmetallic threat items to keep passengers safe," said Kristin Lee, spokeswoman for TSA, in a written statement. "It is proven technology, and we are highly confident in its detection capability."

Late last month, freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, introduced legislation to ban these machines. Of concern to him, Coney and others is not just what TSA officials say, it's also what they see.

(more, including a sample scan)

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/05/18/airpo...cans/index.html

[Nagishkaw 510]

Take off your clothes to those you oppose!

[almaty 19]

or a cavity search, too

[mawilson 2,133]

(more, including a sample scan)

[Nagishkaw 510]

Gravity sucks.

[NickD 203]

I certainly have been tempted to walk in naked, anything to make their jobs easier.

[Peikko 1,575]

You have? Wow, how...brave

[jundp 191]

Well, while on the one hand I understand that it's an invasion of privacy...on the other hand...what are they really going to see? That I have breasts? Or a #######? Or some extra fat around my thighs? What are they going to do with the scan?

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Meh - it's non-intrusive, fast, and better than some dweeb fondling you.

People fear the tech for some reason.

[Amby 490]

I've done those scans a few times. Normally they just pick random people out of the line. You get to go through a way shorter line so I don't care. Is this the machine that does the puffs of air or the one where you have to stand in funny positions like 3 times? I've went through both.