TSA Begins Rolling Out Less-Invasive "Gingerbread Man" Body Scanners to U.S. Airports

This is still invasive. Why should travelers be subjected to radiation which is higher than that of an x-ray?
A regular metal detector is the best method for detecting weapons (and belt buckles)

This scanner, according to their website, does not use any type of x-ray or ionizing radiation, therefore it is much safer than an x-ray and the dose of radiation will be less than that absorbed by taking the flight itself. Also, while metal detectors are great for metal, they do not detect things like chemicals or various other undesirable items that a person might carry.

I suppose if a person is not of our country or if a person has a proven violent history criminal background, then scan this person. But let’s leave the innocent alone. The airports are worried of weapons, there are some people in this world by size, strength and skill are capable of being dangerous. There will never be a scanner to identifiy what the intentions of a person is hidden inside their mind, so what then?

Way to go ALH because ya know explosives and cermic knives can be detected by metal detectors i forgot, and Bubba, let not kid ourselves as soon as we relax our security thats when things good bad, and lives are lost. how quickly we forget.

@BubbaGump

Where do you fit in Timothy McVeigh in your profiling?

@caygill, "...Timothy McVeigh .....His execution took place on June 11, 2001..." I am ok with this. And for those against execution, then lock anyone like him up forever, without an option to get out.

well no matter how hard we try to prevent an attack "terrorist" will just find different means of doing their tasks. they always catch us off guard.

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

The TSA should familiarize themselves with this law.

["The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

The TSA should familiarize themselves with this law.]

Huh? I can't believe you think that you being searched is a violation of your rights. It isn't. You aren't forced to fly an air plane. You don't own an airport. If you hate how they run their show, stop flying, period. Drive to where you have to go. If you need to go to Hawaii or Europe, take a boat.

Seriously. It's really stupid how a lot of white Americans demand rights for something while completely ignoring the rights of "others" (even if theyre Americans)

I hate Airport security and hate taking off my shoes and hate the toothpaste regulations and crap but maybe we don't need any random Joe taking loaded weapons on a highly compressed tube flying throughout the air.... Just to start

Uhm, didnt the underwear bomber fly out of schiphol? If they have been using these scanners for years, how did he get through?

Will the scanner show different shades of gingerbread men to allow the TSA to make use of their favorite tool, namely racial profiling?

i hate to say it, but i have to agree with Sidjtd. i hate sacrificing rights for safety. i'm absolutely against it. but we dont have the right to fly in an airplace. we have the priveledge. it's just a choice that the individual has to make, whether to ride the plane or not.

I really appreciate the ignorant logic that "no one has to fly." Yeah, because an international business trip is feasible by say driving to South America over the next month or taking a 3 month boat ride to Europe and then driving inland 2000 miles. Wake up, no employer in this day and age is going to wait for an employee to take that long.

Besides, we went 40 years without this invasive technology with only a handful of incidences. 9/11 wasn't caused by some guys hiding weapons, it was caused by some guys carrying flight approved box cutters.

These machines are more about money than anything else. They cost $10,000 a pop and now the company that sells them gets to install a whole new set.

What happens when they start hitting our busses? Using car bombs like the Norwegian guy? Or hell, just walkin in a building, restraunt, cafe and blowing it up? Are we going to go as far as to say we dont really have the right to drive, use public transportation, eat or drink outside the house?

♫ he was once a little green slab of clay ♫

First off the research the shoe bomber story, he is the child of a U.N diplomat, and thought he was participating in an exercise. He got onto that plane w/o a passport. Please explain to me how you are going to get onto an international commercial flight w/o papers?? The FBI got him onto that flight with the pretext of invading people’s privacy.

Second, what do I care if someone makes it onto a plane with a ceramic knife? I think 200+ passengers can overpower someone whose only weapon is a knife.

Third, Air Marshalls

Naked body scans are an invasion of privacy, the government has no right. The “terrorists” are winning because they are turning the west into a police state. Wait till they roll out these scanners on highways, and train stations…you silly sheep deserve neither freedom, nor liberty that’s why you are being treated like children who can’t think or defend themselves.

@svukelich: The 4th amendment of the US constitution applies to every US citizen on ALL US soil. It is not in any way revoked just because you choose to fly. You should also familiarize yourself with the 14th amendment, section 1, which also applies:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Finally, remember the words of one of the greatest Americans, Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Just out of curiousity...Is this entirely new software or just a new interface on the old image?

As a developer I can tell you that I constantly create new interfaces for the same old code functioning on websites and applications. It still functions the same, but looks prettier.

Has anyone ever checked to ensure that these supposed "new" machines dont still take those voyeuristic images?

Honestly, its hard to trust the TSA.
They have been caught before lying about not storing those images or being able to pull them off the machines.

It wouldnt be the first time the public was fooled into feeling safe with a pretty picture and false or incomplete info.

i hate to break it to you literal interpretation of the constitution right wing nut bags, the only opinion on these searches being legal that counts is the supreme court's opinion (which leans conservative), they are legal searches period, try going to a court house lately? the right of the public at large to be safe/safer over-rides the individual's rights of privacy, cry all you want, get searched or don't fly is reality, would you prefer no searches, got a ticket, cool beans, just walk right in

@drchuck...
So, I sure hope thats not your idea of bed-side manners.
(if you even are a doctor)

Seriously? calling people right-wing nutbags?
Pretty much limits any serious discussion when you make yourself out to be close-minded to other people's opinions.

Besides, who said people DIDNT want searches?
All that I have seen is poeple asking for 3 main things:

1) "Safe" scanners that dont bombard you with dangerous radiation (yes, recent reports have brought into question their safety)
2) TSA agents who arent there to:
- fondle people inappropriately (especially the elderly, children and handicapped)
- steal people possessions
3) Accountability for TSA agents that do go too far

That really doesn't sound like too much to ask for.