Airport X-ray sees through clothes

[Dr. DOS]

Airport X-ray sees through clothes


Tuesday, November 9, 2004 Posted: 10:43 AM EST (1543 GMT)




LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A new X-ray machine at London's Heathrow airport, which sees through passengers' clothes, has been attacked by civil liberties campaigners as a "voyeur's charter."

The machine uses low-level radiation to see through clothing, producing an anatomically detailed black and white image of the body underneath.

Capable of detecting solid objects concealed under clothing, it started a four month trial in October.

Randomly picked passengers are asked if they will volunteer to be scanned by the machine.

"I stood in front of the screen and they took three pictures in different positions," said passenger Pernille Nielsen.

"I don't mind if the pictures are a little more personal as long as I'm safe in air -- that's what matters," she told Reuters.

Another passenger, Maria Love, said: "It's all about being safe, and I really have no problem with it."

A spokeswoman for BAA Heathrow said 98 percent of participants gave positive feedback.

But British civil rights group Liberty called the X-ray images unjustified and intrusive.

"We obviously do not object to taking security measures, but I remain totally unconvinced that it is necessary," a spokesman said.

To justify the intrusion, the airport should show current detectors are inadequate, he added.

"It's an obvious invasion of people's privacy -- it's a voyeur's charter."

The American Transport Security Administration, which has considered using the machines at U.S. airports, echoed Liberty's concerns.

"There are a number of privacy issues that need to be addressed before we would do field tests," a spokeswoman said.

Scanners currently looking for concealed weapons or explosives on passengers have shown limitations in the past.

Traditional X-ray machines used to scan baggage have often struggled to identify plastic explosives, accidentally sounding alarms when detecting chocolate, cheese and peanut butter because of their similar density to the explosive Semtex.

Heathrow, which for security reasons declined to say how the new X-ray machine improves on current scanners, denies the machines could cause embarrassment.

"It's a very low dose X-ray, the images are not stored, it's same sex operated and the operator that sees the image will not see the person," said the airport spokeswoman.

"There will not be a situation that could cause embarrassment," she added.

Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports, handling around 64 million passengers a year.


Hmmm... I wonder if I an get a job there....

[yoda313]

Hello,

So do they have a widescreen tv for EVERYONE to see the xrays??? (only on female passengers I mean )


Kevin

[CoasterCreator]

ok where do I get one ??????

[EDIT] ***** does that guy have a condom on ???

[Capmaster]

I didn't think they were allowed to use ionizing radiation (which x-rays are) because of potential cancer lawsuits.

[flaninacupboard]

i believe it's a terahertz scanner.

[Dr. DOS]

i believe it's a tetrahertz scanner.

Flan scours want ads for airport security specialists.

[CoasterCreator]

Dam and here I was looking forward to seeing naked women...

[Doramius]

I think at that level of radiation, it would be too light and wouldn't be strong enough to cause cancer. It looks like it gets through about 1 or 2 layers of clothes. You can still faintly see the holsters in better detail as there is more fabric for the radiation to penetrate.

I wouldn't mind having it done. And in case you're wondering, it looks like the guy is wearing a plastic cup. There are cops that wear them on duty on a regular basis. I know some security businesses that require certain armed staff to wear them.

[Capmaster]

I think at that level of radiation, it would be too light and wouldn't be strong enough to cause cancer. It looks like it gets through about 1 or 2 layers of clothes. You can still faintly see the holsters in better detail as there is more fabric for the radiation to penetrate.

I wouldn't mind having it done. And in case you're wondering, it looks like the guy is wearing a plastic cup. There are cops that wear them on duty on a regular basis. I know some security businesses that require certain armed staff to wear them.

An x-ray must go all the way through you to be any good. Otherwise it just looks black (white on the negative).

[zzyzzx]

Dam and here I was looking forward to seeing naked women...

Try here:
http://www.politick.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=522

[CoasterCreator]

that is exactly what I was talking about.....

[Cobra]

I think it is disgusting. There is no need for that level of detail. Nothing wrong with current security - you don't see every plane being highjacked, do you?

Also, that figure stating "98% of participants gave positive feedback" - yes, but they volunteered to try it! That skews that figure totally.

[Ripper2860]

Damn!! Now I'll have to get into the old -- "no that's not a weapon -- yes it is rather large" discussion and miss the 1st boarding call which will ultimately result in my getting a middle seat.

Damn Bastard Terrorists are just making life so damn inconvenient !!!!!!!

[Doramius]

I think it is disgusting. There is no need for that level of detail. Nothing wrong with current security - you don't see every plane being highjacked, do you?

Also, that figure stating "98% of participants gave positive feedback" - yes, but they volunteered to try it! That skews that figure totally.

I agreed the number could be scewed. I disagree that there is no need for that level of security. If 1 out of every 1000 planes gets highjacked, security isn't high enough. It may be drastic and people feel they are giving up their privacy, but there are boats buses & trains you can take as well. If you don't like it, try something else. The only difference is time, and the plane has a better convenience for it.

[glockjs]

dang, all this radiation and chemicals these days. some day i wanna have kids, ya know. safety this, safety that. maybe if people wouldnt stand by and watch things happen everytime it wouldnt be such a prob. just like hijackers tried it a few times after 9/11 and couldnt go through with it cause the second time around people actualy DID SOMETHING.

[lordsmurf]

dang, all this radiation and chemicals these days. some day i wanna have kids, ya know. safety this, safety that. maybe if people wouldnt stand by and watch things happen everytime it wouldnt be such a prob. just like hijackers tried it a few times after 9/11 and couldnt go through with it cause the second time around people actualy DID SOMETHING.

I'm still in disbelief that it was done with box cutters and knifes. Hey, I'll get cut. Put a dozen guys up against a few puny terrorists, and that's that.

[Capmaster]

dang, all this radiation and chemicals these days. some day i wanna have kids, ya know. safety this, safety that. maybe if people wouldnt stand by and watch things happen everytime it wouldnt be such a prob. just like hijackers tried it a few times after 9/11 and couldnt go through with it cause the second time around people actualy DID SOMETHING.

I'm still in disbelief that it was done with box cutters and knifes. Hey, I'll get cut. Put a dozen guys up against a few puny terrorists, and that's that.

...and put those carton cutters where they weren't designed to go

[themichael]

This 'scanner' has been around for a few years. No-go with US airlines because of 'peeping tom' and discrimination lawsuits. They were only going to use it on 'suspicious' pasangers.

Just remember:
You are not allowed fingernail clippers on a flight but you can take upto 4 books of matches or 2 butane lighters. (Big tobacco companies have a say in this you think?)

The guy who smuggled a bomb in his shoes couldn't set it off because he didn't have a lighter.....

We weren't allowed to have butane lighters in the machine shop because the explode with a force equal to a stick of dynamite (or so we were told) if they were shattered.... (of course I was less worried about the guy next to me lighter than the high velocity metal chunk that was going to shatter it!!!)

[ChrisX]

This image above reminds me of a 007 James Bond movie or some film I've seen recently.

Can someone tell me the name of the film?

[yoda313]

Hello,

This image above reminds me of a 007 James Bond movie or some film I've seen recently.

Can someone tell me the name of the film?

Certainly.... "The World Is Not Enough".

It's in the casino scene when he's looking for his russian gambler buddy

Kevin


(ps some nice foreign ladies in the scene too )

[jimmalenko]

It is such a great shame that the behaviour and actions of 0.01% of air travellers **** it up for the rest of us. Commercial flying is one of man's greatest services IMO and as such, I have no issues with doing whatever they want me to do to guarantee my safety while I'm on their plane. After all, I have nothing to hide. It is a great shame that sooo many people have to go through the checks, but I guess it's just part and parcel of air safety these days.

[Capmaster]

We weren't allowed to have butane lighters in the machine shop because the explode with a force equal to a stick of dynamite (or so we were told) if they were shattered

Someone was pulling your chain :P

[Doramius]

I'm not worried at all by it. Again, it's a safety measure. Honestly, if it weren't for laws restraining orders, immoral views, and mother nature I'd be walking around buck naked anyway. I'm not nudist, but I'm not embarassed either. Embarrasing would be a hermaphrodite.

[ChrisX]

Hello,

This image above reminds me of a 007 James Bond movie or some film I've seen recently.

Can someone tell me the name of the film?

Certainly.... "The World Is Not Enough".

It's in the casino scene when he's looking for his russian gambler buddy

Kevin

(ps some nice foreign ladies in the scene too )

Thank Mate