Airport Porn For The Anti-Terrorism Soul
Well, it appears that the anti-terrorism effort has been taken to a more intimate level. A new passenger-screening system has just been unveiled at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in the U.S. last Friday.
This powerful machine has the ability to look past people’s clothing and stop right at their bare skin. To put it in a clearer perspective, let’s just say that with this machine, security personnel would be able to tell women exactly what bra size they wear and men exactly what condom size they should use.
New security X-ray body scanner at Phoenix airport
(Photo courtesy of: physorg.com)
This is part of a new effort to find concealed weapons and explosives on would-be terrorists more quickly. I do not doubt the effectiveness of this new system. I mean, it’s no different from an instant strip-search. However, aren’t they taking this a little too far? Have they forgotten something called “privacy” - a fundamental right in any modern democratic society?
Of course, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration claims that they have “adjusted the equipment to make the image look something like a line drawing, while still detecting concealed weapons” (CBC.ca). They also state that going through this new system is strictly voluntary on the part of the passengers and that they can choose to go with the old, pat-down search method instead. Furthermore, they assured the public that the security officer who guides the passenger through the system will never get a glimpse of the images. The images are only seen by the officer who operates the machine fifteen metres away and likewise, would never get a glimpse of the passenger to whom the images belong to.
Wow…how considerate of them - I’m touched. I have a few questions: what if the White House suddenly announces a Red Alert (which means “Severe Risk Of Terrorist Attacks”)? Would all these “privacy consideration measures” be squashed like a bug in the name of anti-terrorism then? After all, an expert did say that, “The more obscure they make the image, the more obscure the contraband, weapons and explosives” (CBC.ca).
No matter what steps they take to ensure the privacy of passengers, I find the mere existence of such a machine disturbing. Is it really that necessary to impose such an extreme screening system as strip-searching (albeit an instant one) on the public? I’m sure everyone would like to be safe but I’m also equally sure that everyone would prefer to keep their private parts private, thank you very much.
It’s disturbing that we are all treated like criminals.
To Angela:
Exactly. In its effort to make everyone feel safe, the U.S. has also created an environment of paranoia, which does not contribute to a “safe feeling” at all.