For the last few years, federal agencies have defended body scanning by insisting that all images will be discarded as soon as they’re viewed. The Transportation Security Administration claimed last summer, for instance, that “scanned images cannot be stored or recorded.”
Now it turns out that some police agencies are storing the controversial images after all. The U.S. Marshals Service admitted this week that it had surreptitiously saved tens of thousands of images recorded with a millimeter wave system at the security checkpoint of a single Florida courthouse. This follows an earlier disclosure (PDF) by the TSA that it requires all airport body scanners it purchases to be able to store and transmit images for “testing, training, and evaluation purposes.” The agency says, however, that those capabilities are not normally activated when the devices are installed at airports. This privacy debate, which has been simmering since the days of the Bush administration, came to a boil two weeks ago when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that scanners would soon appear at virtually every major airport. The updated list includes airports in New York City, Dallas, Washington, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, and Philadelphia.
“TSA is not being straightforward with the public about the capabilities of these devices,” Rotenberg said. “This is the Department of Homeland Security subjecting every U.S. traveler to an intrusive search that can be recorded without any suspicion–I think it’s outrageous.” EPIC’s lawsuit says that the TSA should have announced formal regulations, and argues that the body scanners violate the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits “unreasonable” searches.
Yes, I’m as shocked as you are. So basically they lie through their teeth, and once the policy is in place, do anything they want to do. By the time the truth comes out, no one cares anymore. Heckuva job Barry.
Out of all the items of information the Gov’t already has on you, no doubt cheerfully disclosed by any business (credit card purchases, grocery store data mining cards, etc.) you’ve used since Hoover had anything to do with anything, this is probably the least significant… Until you have to supply a body scan for your national ID card.
Sargasso==from your link: “These nonlinear instabilities are much less likely to form which explains why the character of THz genotoxic effects are probabilistic rather than deterministic, say the team.” /// Can you bottom line that for me? Does this mean that airport security scans WILL on occasion unzip part of your dna or not?
#1 I don’t get it? You mean to tell me you’re fine with naked pictures of yourself, spouse, and children floating around the TSA?
Stopher==excellent. The first “invasion of privacy” by taking the pic is justified as anti-terrorism security but keeping the pics assumes they will be misused and constitutes a second and actionable invasion/misuse of privacy? I think that has some validity to it.
The xray looking pics I have seen don’t bother me at all. Nor of my wife? And that perhaps goes to a whole other issue: people comfortable with “the truth.” or with nudity. or with human sexuality.
Maybe full distributions of all our pics buck nekkid would actually be a liberating move? Who knew: Freedom thru Truth. Novel concept.
I think Muslims would have a problem with technology. Their women are all modest you know.
Improb—if I said: “That only proves my point.” would that be snarky? And if snarky, appropriate or not?
Fly naked!
Jeez, what’s the problem? Some sort of Puritan thing?
I don’t object to anyone having a clothed picture of me, why should I object to someone having a nude picture of me? Nudity is NOT the same as pornography. I’d strip off if it would get me through the line faster.
Are you the same people who wear swimsuits into the shower at the gym?
How about an inkless fingerprint?
like an Identix system?
also, then they could tie a fingerprint to a scan!
“here,hold on to this while we take this scan”
I’ll try to zoom out from the blog vs bobbo argument for a minute and wonder – if our naked pictures are being taken and stored at checkpoints that we can avoid only with great difficulty, doesn’t this constitute a win for the US-created terrorists? I mean seriously, we’re arguing about a policy imposed on us by the same government that created Al-Qaeda and now wants to examine our cavities to keep us safe from them.
# 18 jbenson2 said, “Total # of posts so far: 16 Bobbo’s troll posts: 7
He’s taking over 50% of the traffic.”
Sheesh. I sure wish someone else had pointed this out. Oh, well. 7/16 is LESS than 50%.
And, by my quick count, he now has 10 posts in this thread and mine makes #30. So 10/30 – damn! Bobbo. You’ve got over 66% of the traffic!!!
Animby==stop pimping me. Speaking of you and pimps, that references was just made in the Movie “City of Ghosts.” Better than most. Creepy countryside and people = all the victims of war.
I’m not surprised. I expect the government to lie to me. Of course if they want to look at my body I don’t actually care but I do think that sort of punishment ought to be against the law unless they need a replacement for water boarding.
deowll==why thats even eloquent in its self depreciation. Why don’t you post more often like that?
Now that we know they are saving them, it is only a matter of time before they start showing up on the web. It will probably be some snarky site like http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/. Maybe it will be called ‘Suckers who have to fly commercial airlines’.
They are looking for scales on people.
perhaps they can tune into our vibrational energy and see the real creatures underneath.
we must stop the reptilians from leaving the country to purchase duty free monoatomic gold.
But in the end they will simply harm human dna and human dignity.
they will stop no terror, terror is the new fear tactic.
they cant allow that to stop now can they, who would we be afraid of? what would prevent us from free thought if we weren’t living in fear?
Shocked? Yes, shocked.
One office in one state of one federal agency – US Marshalls.
Well, this obviously is an international socialist plot.
@bobbo, we think with words, and flower with ideas
You appear to put the cart before the horse there.
Assurances were made, in order to get the bill passed, that the images would not be saved and would be merely displayed while the subject passed through security clearance.
The bill passed and it came into law and now the truth comes out that the images ARE being stored. So both Congress and the US public were deceived IN ORDER to make it legal.
I guess that’s why everybody is a little peeved about it.
#38 Rob –
I could be wrong (but I’m not) but the agreement you are talking about was with the TSA not the Marshal’s service. Reread the article above and you’ll notice the images are scans of people entering a court. Which is interesting in itself: what other country makes you pose naked before you can have your day in court?
Also, I’m not saying we won’t end up seeing TSA images of our wilted wienies (well, it was cold that day!)posted on the Ten Least Wanted list in the Post Office. We all know assurances are not promises and, even if they were, it’s only for our own security they will change their minds and save, transmit and possibly publish the images.
Me? I’m just hoping for a warm day.
Rob–good thought but as usual Animby’s answer was much better than mine would be.
Mine: if the restriction is not expressly stated within the legislation, the restriction does not exist. And even where such restriction does exist, you can count on it not being enforced. Like gravity, evil has its own weight that is constantly acting on the warp and weave of society.
The real trick/challenge is to find you own peace within the realities of externalities.
Good luck junior space man!