
Some security analysts and policymakers are calling for wider use of body scanning technology. STORY HIGHLIGHTS * Some experts call for increased use of body scans * Privacy advocates say body scans are invasive * 40 scanners in use in U.S.; 150 coming online this year * No 'magic technology' to ensure safety, security expert says (CNN) -- The full-body scanning technology being adopted and discussed since the attempt to take down a passenger plane on Christmas Day is under attack from privacy advocates who call it a "virtual strip search." The controversial technology, first used in a U.S. airport in 2007, can find hidden objects that metal detectors can't. "The advanced imaging technology enhances security because it can detect both metallic and nonmetallic threats hidden on a passenger's body," TSA spokesman Greg Soule said. Privacy rights groups are wary of movements to impose the anatomically revealing technology on all travelers as a primary screening method. "Obviously we have a concern because it's a virtual strip search that is terribly invasive," said Michael German, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. Federal authorities have charged suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, 23, of Nigeria, with trying to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan. The device failed to fully detonate. In Amsterdam, metal detectors and X-ray machines were in place, but the advanced scanning technology was not available. Dutch authorities have said they are confident about how AbdulMutallab was screened, but acknowledge that they could not have detected the explosive material that he was allegedly carrying. Full coverage of Terror on Flight 253 Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport will begin using the full-body scanners on all passengers taking flights to the United States, the Dutch interior minister said Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, the airport authority in Nigeria, where AbdulMutallab's flight to Amsterdam originated, announced plans to add body scanners to its security system. In the United States, 40 of these advanced imaging machines are in use in 19 airports, according to the TSA. Only in six airports are they used as a primary screening option. An additional 150 advanced imaging machines will be installed in U.S. airports over the next year, and the TSA plans to purchase 300 more machines in 2010, the TSA's Soule said. Video: Netherlands now uses body scan RELATED TOPICS * Transportation Security Administration * Air Travel The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based public interest research center, filed a lawsuit in November against the Department of Homeland Security seeking details under the Freedom of Information Act about the department's use of the advanced imaging technology. The privacy rights group is concerned that the focus on hidden explosives will push the TSA to ramp up use of the machines as a primary screening … [Read more...]












