TSA Starts Testing New Scanners That Don't Show Your Naked Body

from the well,-that's-a-start dept

Tue, Feb 1st 2011 2:15pm — Mike Masnick

Despite all the protests from the TSA that there was nothing (nothing!) wrong with requiring everyone to display their naked body or be groped by TSA employees in order to board an airplane, it appears that even TSA officials are recognizing that the nudie scanners may have gone a bit too far. The TSA is now testing new screening machines that display a generic body outline, rather than showing a person's actual body. Of course, there's no word on if the TSA will similarly mislead the public about the safety (or lack of safety) in these new machines. Also, there's no indication if these new machines will be as easily defeated as the old ones.

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Filed Under: scanners, scans, tsa

16 Comments

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Joe Publius, 1 Feb 2011 @ 2:24pm

Wow
I wonder how much that will cost us. Considering that the rate of attacks here seems pretty low, they could have just taken a little more time to see if their new ideas held water, or if they were, you know, constitutionally sound. Instead it may be another case of bad money after bad.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2011 @ 2:59pm

Then the bomber just explode before going into the scanner hugging the TSA agent in the process of doing so.
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Feb 2011 @ 11:16am
  
  Re:
  It worked in Russia which means we WILL see this in the US.
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weneedhelp (profile), 1 Feb 2011 @ 3:00pm

New scanners?
But TSA is now testing new software that will only generate a generic outline of a person. Threatening items will be marked on the outline.

While eliminating body images will likely address the concerns of privacy and civil liberties groups, some critics still worry that the machines give off unsafe levels of radiation. TSA argues that the radiation levels are not harmful.

Appears to be the same machines with "new" software.
File> Properties> Show boobies.

I would love to see the options of an elevated account.
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- Not an electronic Rodent, 2 Feb 2011 @ 1:26am
  
  Re: New scanners?
  File> Properties> Show boobies.
  __________________________________________
  You are attempting to use a restricted command
  Please enter a valid username/password to enter
  
  Porn Mode
  Username: system\pervert
  Password: ********
  __________________________________________
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2011 @ 3:01pm

Or he can go with a his baggage full of explosives and steel bearing balls to the check in line and explode there where there will probably be a lot of people doing the same thing.
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weneedhelp (profile), 1 Feb 2011 @ 3:02pm

The system does not involve new machines. Instead, it relies on new software.
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/01/133414389/feds-test-new-airport-body-scanning-system
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- cc (profile), 1 Feb 2011 @ 3:05pm
  
  Re: The system does not involve new machines. Instead, it relies on new software.
  "The system does not involve new machines. Instead, it relies on new software"
  
  This is what I heard. The hardware is the same, but the scanned 3d model is distorted and applied onto a generic figure.
  
  Safety concerns are still relevant.
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Feb 2011 @ 3:05am
  
  Re: The system does not involve new machines. Instead, it relies on new software.
  It's just a new mode in the software. When they want to make it look more innocuous, like say, for the media, then they can turn this new "modesty" mode on. But in regular use it will be the same virtual strip search as before. Smoke and mirrors.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2011 @ 3:40pm

Chertoff, Most Holy
But the real question is: Does Michael Chertoff get another $500 million to upgrade the backscatter scanner software?

Regardless, this change will clearly protect America from Terror, which is the leading cause of diarrhea.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2011 @ 3:40pm

So, if the people upset about the potential privacy violations of the naked scanners are just a bunch of whiners like the TSA says, and the scanners aren't invasive, then why are they suddenly developing NEW scanners that don't display you naked?

Seems like an admission that the head of the TSA is a lying sack of shit, doesn't it?
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- Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2011 @ 4:00pm
  
  Re:
  How dare you, sir.
  
  Our security services have never lied to us before. Why should they start now?
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2011 @ 4:15pm

Next...
they'll probably announce that they're going to start closing their eyes while they grope you and that should make that alright too. Then there will be absolutely nothing for anyone to complain about.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2011 @ 4:49pm

The next machine to come will be the Octopus-groper :)
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Dohn Joe, 1 Feb 2011 @ 8:02pm

$$$
...and the spyware vendors net another deal...all this only six months after the last one!
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jilocasin (profile), 2 Feb 2011 @ 6:48am

Just more TSA lies and misdirection
As it's been mentioned elsewhere and alluded to in previous posting here, this is all just 'smoke & mirrors'.

The machines are the _same_. _Same_ privacy invading tech, _same_ potential health concerns, _same_ waste of tax dollars with this ineffectual system.

The new software purportedly 'displays' the results on a generic outline. It still _records_ and _stores_ (remember when the TSA was/is telling everyone that none of the images are capable of being stored?) the original image in all it's privacy invading glory.

Oh, and just to add insult to injury, the TSA is requiring new scanners to not only have large storage capacity, but high speed network links.

Now, if the scanners just display images draped a generic outline (you can dump most of the image right there) and they _never_ store any images, just what would large hard drives and fast network links be used for? It couldn't possibly be for storing large detailed privacy invading images of people and quickly transferring them to 'somewhere safe' (from subpoena and embarrassing, to the TSA at least, disclosures) now could it?

I mean this is the TSA, they would _never_ lie to the public, right?
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