If airport-security searches weren't invasive enough, a new device called a backscatter -- used to detect items that current search methods might miss -- has the unsettling ability to see through clothing. The backscatter, currently being tested at one of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport's seven security checkpoints, was designed to detect items such as plastic explosives strapped to the body that wouldn't set off a metal detector. Officials note that a passenger would have to fail initial security checks or otherwise be selected for deeper screening to be subjected to the backscatter, and even then the details of the penetrating images would be distorted (as seen in the image on the right) and the images never stored. Sounds outrageous, but the test run seems to indicate travelers are still willing to sacrifice privacy for increased safety.
XXX-Ray Deepens Airport Screening
If airport-security searches weren’t invasive enough, a new device called a backscatter — used to detect items that current search methods might miss — has the unsettling ability to see through clothing. The backscatter, currently being tested at one of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s seven security checkpoints, was designed to detect items such as […]
