When I heard the words full body scanner, I immediately cringed. Even worse are the words full body pat down.
Unfortunately for many travelers these words are becoming a reality. At more and more major airports full body scanners are being installed. With these new scanners come a slew of problems. Passengers feel violated by the scanners, which expose the traveler. Even still a full body pat down might occur which now includes the search of private areas.
Needless to say...travelers are not all smiles.
A CNN employee Rosemary Fitzpatrick described her experience and said she almost cried. The embarrassment from the pat down brought her to tears and said she "felt helpless, felt violated and felt humiliated".
TSA is saying that the intensive pat downs are necessary to resolve any issues preliminary security might find. However, this might be too much.
Fitzpatrick's strip down is happening everywhere and people are not thrilled. The comment section on Fitzpatrick's story was filled. Readers lent their two cents and the issue has people split. Many readers agree with Fitzpatrick and think that the strip searches are incredibly debasing and for the most part unnecessary. Many comments said that the pat downs were a show put on by the TSA to make passengers feel safer. Other users said they would gladly handle some discomfort to ensure safety for all fliers.
Full body scanners are a mixed bag as well. The TSA has praised these machines, as “an excellent piece of technology that will significantly improve our detection capabilities” according to Gale Rossides the TSA’s acting administrator. The machine is said to have already found 60 “artfully concealed” prohibited items.However, not everyone is as convinced as the TSA is. A pilot for ExpressJet Airlines, Michael Roberts, recently refused the full body scan stating that it violated his fourth amendment. He and the TSA are currently engaged in a lawsuit over the incidence. Roberts said "Evidently my refusal to show them my whole naked body and my uncomfortableness with them putting their hands on me was a big deal”.
An image of what the scanner shows...a little to up close and personal
A main concern for many fliers is that while the scanner machines come set to not record or store images, they can easily be changed to do so. Another main issue is the threat of radiation the machine emits. Complaints have been heard wide and far throughout the Internet. Like the full body pat downs many believe the scanners are an intrusion of privacy and an ineffective way to detect threats.
Airport security is never a fun topic. However, threats occur and safety must come first. The battle between privacy and security has been an ongoing one and these measures are sure to be addressed in the future in a court of law. What do you think about these new measures?
I travel all the time and I have personally experienced a few security scares, not only sitting at my gate ready to board, but sitting in my airplane seat ready to take flight. I was once on a flight where a woman bolted from her seat as we were cruising down the tarmac, claimed she was having a health emergency, exited the aircraft, and left her personal belongings in the overhead bin. Suspicious, to say the least. As you can imagine, it was mayhem. My point is, people can argue that they have the right to privacy when it comes to their body, but when they experience the frightening realization that dangerous people can make their way onto a flight and jeopardize the lives of hundreds, I'm sure they will have a change of heart...
ReplyDeleteOne of the last times I traveled I was one of the lucky few to experience the full-body metal detector. I'm not sure if it was the one pictured above but it was one that blew puffs of air from the floor and ceiling of the machine. I wish someone would have given me a fair warning considering I was wearing A DRESS. I'm definitely one of those people that is all for making airport security safer but It kind of makes you wonder...don't you think if someone was planning to threat security they would take these kind of things into consideration? I'm not sure a pat down is very conclusive and the right way to go. I'm all for the the machines no matter what rights the go against. It's not like they are going to be showing pictures all over the place. This is a Federal institution we are talking about.
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