zakur
26th June 2003, 10:46 AM
FAA chief not at ease with new scanners (http://www.post-gazette.com/nation/20020320garveynat3p3.asp)
WASHINGTON -- Jane Garvey, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, told reporters yesterday she is uncomfortable with new X-ray technology being tested at selected airports that sees through a person's clothing, and she doubts it will be approved except possibly to screen baggage.
The new devices, ordered for testing by the FAA and now being considered by the new Transportation Security Administration, "raises tremendous privacy issues," she said.
Low-emission X-ray technology has been tested at a government technology center in New Jersey and is being tried out on volunteers in several airports, including Orlando, Fla. The technology "undresses" the passenger being screened so security personnel can see if a suspicious object is concealed under clothing. An image of the person's body is displayed on a computer screen, clearly revealing private parts.
[...]
The new Transportation Security Agency, only a month old, was spun off from the FAA as a result of Sept. 11 and is part of the Department of Transportation. It has gotten off to a rocky start.
Last week, the agency announced, after receiving thousands of complaints of "inappropriate touching," that screeners would frisk passengers only of the same sex. The Association of Flight Attendants has said its female members were being inappropriately searched by male screeners.
WASHINGTON -- Jane Garvey, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, told reporters yesterday she is uncomfortable with new X-ray technology being tested at selected airports that sees through a person's clothing, and she doubts it will be approved except possibly to screen baggage.
The new devices, ordered for testing by the FAA and now being considered by the new Transportation Security Administration, "raises tremendous privacy issues," she said.
Low-emission X-ray technology has been tested at a government technology center in New Jersey and is being tried out on volunteers in several airports, including Orlando, Fla. The technology "undresses" the passenger being screened so security personnel can see if a suspicious object is concealed under clothing. An image of the person's body is displayed on a computer screen, clearly revealing private parts.
[...]
The new Transportation Security Agency, only a month old, was spun off from the FAA as a result of Sept. 11 and is part of the Department of Transportation. It has gotten off to a rocky start.
Last week, the agency announced, after receiving thousands of complaints of "inappropriate touching," that screeners would frisk passengers only of the same sex. The Association of Flight Attendants has said its female members were being inappropriately searched by male screeners.