US to remove airport scanners that see through clothing
Body scanners that reveal naked images of passengers are to be removed from US airports, the Transportation Security Administration has confirmed.
The backscatter units that see through clothing caused controversy around the world, partly for fears about the amount of radiation they emit but also because of the potential invasion of privacy.
Recently, an ex-TSA officer wrote on his blog, Taking Sense Away that security personnel regularly gather in the back rooms where scans are viewed to snigger and make lewd remarks about passengers—an allegation the TSA refuted.
However, the manufacturer Rapsican was ordered to alter the scanners to produce a more generic image by June 1, and as it can’t meet the deadline the TSA has ended its contract and ordered the machines to be removed.
–Gretchen Kelly, TravelMole US Editor with Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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