Airport body scanner can see you nude

[phoenix-rose 32]

Ok so here's the question no one else is asking... yes, yes, it's all about seeing you nekkid and privacy concerns - I get that.

 

But has anyone thought about health ramifications?

 

These are X-Ray machines for gosh sakes. Too much radiation can cause cancer, this is why they typically cover you in lead when you go for x-rays for a broken bone. So, now, the airports are subjecting their passengers (their CUSTOMERS) to xray radiation to scan them as if we're all potential terrorists.

 

If you're a frequent flyer - and are scanned repeatedly over time, this mini dose of radiation does add up. This can have negative impact on health - so, in 20 years, does that mean that the people with jobs that require them to fly will have a reason to sue the TSA / Airport / government for endangering their health through multiple un-necessary doses of x-ray radiation? I'd say someone may have a pretty good case there... hard to prove, but I'm waiting...

[Steven192 272]

The reason no one is talking about health concerns is because there aren't any.

 

The machines are either a millimeter wave scanner which produces 30 to 300 gigahertz electromagnetic waves, which is less output than a mobile phone or the other version is the backscatter machine, which are low-level X-ray machines that expose bodies to as much radiation as about two minutes of flying in an airplane does.

 

In other words, if you already use a cell phone and you already fly, you are already exposing your body to more radiation than these scanners will.

 

Info from http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-10423199-247.html

[phoenix-rose 32]

Thanks for that - I had only kept reading that they were "X-ray" not how potent they are - and kept asking now why would we do this - health risks and all. I still say that it's a bit concerning anyhow - any extra radiation you add can up your risks (yah yah I know).

 

Otherwise, I wonder if we can ask which type of scanner it is and then say no, I want to use the non backscatter one? :-P.

[Hutcho 2,227]

This is just more hassle for travelers and doesn't solve anything. You know, I watched a show the other day on drug smugglers, and they were swallowing large capsules of drugs and then shitting them out at their destination. Pretty clever. So what's stopping some bastard (or a number of them) swallowing some capsules of plastic explosive, shitting them out on the plane and blowing it up? My guess would be nothing.

 

This threat cannot be stopped by body scanners or stopping people from taking more than 100ml of liquid onto the plane. The only thing that is going to help is better intelligence, and probably stopping the wars we start in other parts of the world that blow people up on a much larger scale than any terrorist, which gives people reasons to actually be a terrorist in the first place.

[Bipa 5,812]

Gives a new meaning to coming home with a few souvenir photos. Could be quite a money maker if they market it right. :P

[Jimbo 1,269]

 

So what's stopping some bastard (or a number of them) swallowing some capsules of plastic explosive, shitting them out on the plane and blowing it up? My guess would be nothing.

You need a detonator for one, wet explosives, especially homemade ones are far less likely to go off, and you need a certain amount of them to do any damage. And of course you have to be sure you will shit them out in flight - and be able to find them, clean them and 'assemble' your bomb easily enough in flight.

 

Personally, I'm not too worred about the poo-bomber just yet.

[Editor Bob 3,366]

Apparently these airport scanners violate Islamic law and Muslims have issued a fatwa against them.

 

Interesting that the Mooslems get so uptight about nudity, yet there's no fatwa against blowing up airliners and murdering hundreds of innocent people.

[OnurTG 12]

 

murdering hundreds of innocent people

you sound like Christians have never done it so far..

 

Why do you associate some views of a small group of people to larger a amount, who cry out loud that those false ones do not represent themselves?

 

Q: Does Bob have stereotypes? <_<

[expatsayswhat 68]

I personally don't care what someones race/religion/nationality is-flying is not a "god-given right" (or whatever you do or do not believe in right), so if someone doesn't like it, find a different way to travel.

[polophonic 156]

 

Apparently these airport scanners violate Islamic law and Muslims have issued a fatwa against them.

 

Interesting that the Mooslems get so uptight about nudity, yet there's no fatwa against blowing up airliners and murdering hundreds of innocent people.

 

I'd just like to say that a fatwa is a religious ruling by Muslim scholars/theologians. Fatwas are proclaimed/issued for all sorts of reasons (I'm sure someone could dig up some very trivial examples). They can be as limited as 'try not to do something' and have nothing necessarily anything to do with non-Muslims. Whether they are followed is largely down to the reputation of the scholar. i.e. they are very much open to interpretation as there is no strict organizational structure in Islam.

 

This is different from say rulings or pronouncements from the Catholic church because the Pope (being the direct line to God) is infallible so there is a religious obligation to follow them (if you are a Catholic).

[OnurTG 12]

 

I'd just like to say that a fatwa is a religious ruling by Muslim scholars/theologians. Fatwas are proclaimed/issued for all sorts of reasons (I'm sure someone could dig up some very trivial examples). They can be as limited as 'try not to do something' and have nothing necessarily anything to do with non-Muslims. Whether they are followed is largely down to the reputation of the scholar. i.e. they are very much open to interpretation as there is no strict organizational structure in Islam.

 

This is different from say rulings or pronouncements from the Catholic church because the Pope (being the direct line to God) is infallible so there is a religious obligation to follow them (if you are a Catholic).

 

More precisely, a fatwa is the opinion of a Muslim scholar. It is completely non-binding. It is a freedom of speech.

 

Furthermore, fatwas about being a better being, not harming people, living in peace, temper control, etc. are given pretty much everyday in Muslim mosques, tv shows, etc.. But of course this is not as interesting as a fatwa on X-rays for the journalists, so you don't read about them.

 

Also, giving a fatwa on not attacking airplanes would be as silly as asking for it.

 

I like how some guys go like: "Long-live freedom of speech.. but only MINE!"..

 

cheers.

[polophonic 156]

 

Interesting that the Mooslems get so uptight about nudity, yet there's no fatwa against blowing up airliners and murdering hundreds of innocent people.

 

Forgot to give a link to a list of fatwas against terrorism and extremism:

 

http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/muslim_voices_against_extremism_and_terrorism_part_i_fatwas/

 

Plenty more out there I'm sure.

[jmjdk 84]

 

If I've said it once, I've said it a million fucking times. Replace all the bullshit metal detectors and airport scanners with a Paulaner beertent, where you have to drink a beer and eat some pork. That'll weed out the terrorists quick sharp.

 

Next.

That definitely sounds like it has great possibilities.

 

 

This is just more hassle for travelers and doesn't solve anything. You know, I watched a show the other day on drug smugglers, and they were swallowing large capsules of drugs and then shitting them out at their destination. Pretty clever. So what's stopping some bastard (or a number of them) swallowing some capsules of plastic explosive, shitting them out on the plane and blowing it up? My guess would be nothing.

 

This threat cannot be stopped by body scanners or stopping people from taking more than 100ml of liquid onto the plane. The only thing that is going to help is better intelligence, and probably stopping the wars we start in other parts of the world that blow people up on a much larger scale than any terrorist, which gives people reasons to actually be a terrorist in the first place.

Just take this to the next level by building an all in one package (detonator w/remote capability & explosive) that can do enough damage to an aircraft to bring it down.

 

 

You need a detonator for one, wet explosives, especially homemade ones are far less likely to go off, and you need a certain amount of them to do any damage. And of course you have to be sure you will shit them out in flight - and be able to find them, clean them and 'assemble' your bomb easily enough in flight.

 

Personally, I'm not too worred about the poo-bomber just yet.

I would, put the detonator (that can be activated by mobile phone, maybe hard at flying altitude) in with the explosives & just swallow or shove it up the back door. No need to extract components and assemble on the plane.

 

 

Apparently these airport scanners violate Islamic law and Muslims have issued a fatwa against them.

 

Interesting that the Mooslems get so uptight about nudity, yet there's no fatwa against blowing up airliners and murdering hundreds of innocent people.

 

 

More precisely, a fatwa is the opinion of a Muslim scholar. It is completely non-binding. It is a freedom of speech.

Well lets hope all the terrorist follow this opinion then.

[Editor Bob 3,366]

 

there's no fatwa against blowing up airliners

There is now.

 

Mooslems issue fatwa against terrorism

[Staffchild101 48]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7048576.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=2015164

 

Having read a large proportion of this thread there are a lot of comments about the nudity issue of theses scanners. Personally, and a lot of you agree here, I don't really have an issue with it. I have more revealing photos on facebook, courtesy of my dear "friends". Another thing, if this present a reasonable possibility of stopping terrorist, albeit not the anal assassin versions, then I think it is a good thing and I think you will find a vast of majority of people in England, Spain and America, to name a few, who would agree with that. One thing though is that they need to dispense with the pretense of "random selection". You will notice that two Muslim women were "randomly" selected, in the article above, for a full body scan. Reasons being that for one, how many people without Muslim backgrounds have tried to blow up a plane? I am sure there are couple and some helpful TT poster will no doubt enlighten me of this but it is fare less then the amount with Muslim backgrounds.

 

Personally I am all in favor of the full body scan. I mean it dispenses with the hassle of taking your clothes off which, admittedly, I have got down to a fine art (Record 34 seconds) but it is a little annoying when you are in an airport.

 

PS do you think you could get a photo of the image? It would make a great facebook profile.

[thefirelane 980]

 

it dispenses with the hassle of taking your clothes off which, admittedly, I have got down to a fine art

Your trips to the airport are either much more, or much much less, enjoyable than mine.

[Staffchild101 48]

I have a strip show, €80.

[don_riina 7,404]

 

One thing though is that they need to dispense with the pretense of "random selection". You will notice that two Muslim women were "randomly" selected, in the article above, for a full body scan. Reasons being that for one, how many people without Muslim backgrounds have tried to blow up a plane?

Well, the flight in question was going to Pakistan. If the selection was random or not, it's pretty likely that absolutely every single one of the passengers boarding the plane were Muslim.

That said, I also very much doubt whether any islamonutters would blow up a plane full of muslims, flying to Pakistan, so pointless to select anyone from that flight for scanning really; unless of course they were planning to blow up Manchester airport before take off, in which case, they should have been allowed to carry on - how far is Old Trafford from the airport?

[Darkknight 2,306]

 

That said, I also very much doubt whether any islamonutters would blow up a plane full of muslims, flying to Pakistan

Don't know about blowing-up, but muslims have hijacked planes full of other muslims before. The Pakistan Airlines Wiki pages

alone list 2 such incidents.

[kathaksung 21]

It's no new news. It was a skilled technique at least 17 years ago. Here is an article I wrote 10 years ago. Re: "If it turns on people, then clothes mean nothing. People become nude."

 

2. Infra-scanner, surveillance behind wall

 

I sell porcelain figuring. After a while, there were quite amount of broken one accumulated. That day, I was sticking the broken part back by using a glue gun. I switched on power so glue stick melted, ready for working. While I was doing my work, my tenant came in to get some food in refrigerator.(I rented out two upstairs bedrooms and shared kitchen with my tenants.) When I worked on second lot, he came again. For the third time, he was rushing down. This rose my attention. I noticed it happened just seconds after I switched on the power. It looked like that was the heat touched off his strange behavior. So I did an experiment. I packed up everything, sitting down, switching on the power of glue gun. Within seconds, he reacted as what I expected. He was embarrassed when he found I was smiling at him and explained that he was hungry. I smiling because I had the feeling a scientist had when making a discovery. The agent found the figure in screen had lit something and thought I was smoking marijuana, order my tenant to check. My tenant, knew nothing about infra-scanner, only reported I was repairing porcelain figuring. None of them was aware of it was caused by an electricity heated glue gun.

 

Several months later, when I repairing another pile of porcelain, same thing happened again. My tenant felt uneasy as I watching him going up and down. That in last rush down he held an underwear high and explained he was going to wash it.

 

Later in a newspaper article, a lawyer said it was fascist to use infra-scanner in surveillance. So I know the instrument name. And it is so sensitive that they can use it to discover corpse buried under ground from helicopter. (For the corpse which is just died with residual body temperature)

 

Infra-scanner can be used to watch people behind wall. If it turns on people, then clothes mean nothing. People become nude. The strange thing is,in a country which is so emphasized on privacy, almost nobody mention it. Media rarely talk about it. Most people even don't know it. In San Jose Mercury News,(Feb 21,2001. pg.18A) there's an article: "Lawyer says police use of Thermal Imagine violates reasonable expectation of privacy" As a matter of fact, they use it 10 years ago already according to my experience. Outwardly, U.S. is a democratic country. Inside, it is tightly controlled by secret police. Although you can easily ridicule President, you rarely hear a voice criticize federal law enforcement agency. Waco is a controversial issue. Many people think FBI's action is murder. What's the result? Nobody takes responsibility. People are intimidated.