Controversy Over Full-Body Scanners

Having security inside an airdrome is a necessary and important arctic precaution, but there is controversy as to how to achieve an effective airport screening system, and yet provide privacy to travelers. A recent national overturn has arisen on the topic of installing new Full Body Scanners into airport security systems nationwide. The electronic scanners ar thought to be an invasion of privacy, have a precise high cost, and are an unable security method.One of the key issues for the usage of full body scans is that it can be a major invasion of privacy to slew creation screened during the airport security process. For instance in the member Debate Over Full Body Scans vs. Invasion of secrecy Flares After Incident, the author john Schwartz explains that images produced by the machine can be startlingly detailed(1). So despite claims of blurry and opaque images they can in fact have the authorisation to become detailed images.This could potentially make the security proc ess a humiliating pay back and discourage some people from air travel. In other(a) article by U. S. A today Our View On Transportation Security Airport Body Scanners Balance Safety and Privacy, they found out that TSA want to buy scanners that can store and send images in test mode(1). If the scanners that can store photos are utilized by airport security systems, because it is possible that the images could be copied or shared.People should non have to worry that their semi nude images are going to be shared, however slight the risk. Is it not consecutive that travellers should feel comfortable during the check in process and not need to be concerned about a humiliating or undignified experience? Another important argument against the instillation of full body scanners is that they can be overly expensive relative to traditional screening methods. Jessica Ravidz supports this argument in her article Airport Security Bares All, or does it?, saying each machine can cost up to a total of $170,000 per scanner(1). It is a dearly-won and unnecessary project because there is already a effective security system in place. It would be cheaper to stay with the current methods of security, such as coat attainors and pat downs than to incorporate a much more costly alternative. A story in The Wall Street Journal TSA Pressed on Full-Body Scans disrespect Concerns, Cam Simpson and Daniel Michaels say in the paper that The U. S.Transporation Security Administration plans to buy 450 body scanners, and that the Department of Homeland Security announced that they are purchasing 300 more this year(1). This is a large fund of money that could be used for better training, different technologies, and more efficient systems moving people through the airport security process. Another way the money could be used is to fund investigations and intelligence work and detect threats before they even arrive at the airport. The pecuniary costs vs benefits to airport security do es not appear to support adding Full Body Scanners to our current methods.A different debate on the usage of body scanners is that they are an ineffective security system and cannot detect certain objects. An example is in the story Debate Over Full Body Scanner vs. Invasion of Privacy Flares Anew After Incident, by John Schwartz states that the machines cannot, for example, detect objects stowed in bodily orifices or concealed within folds of an obese persons flesh(2). This proves that the scanner technology is limited and can be deceived under certain circumstances. Therefore the scanners are only useful against a limited number of threats.In the same article Bruce Schneider, a technological security expert is interviewed and says If there are a hundred tactics and I protect against two of them, Im not making you safer, if we use full body scanning, they are going to use something else(2). He brings up a point that even though the scanners can detect certain concealed objects they still only protect against a few specific threats. And now that people know about the scans and how they work they now similarly know how to get around them. Those are the reasons on why it is an inefficient security method and should not be put into use as patriarchal airport security.In conclusion this proves that the usage of Full Body Scanners in airports would not be a conventional method to replacing current security processes. The reasons being on why they would not be viable solution are that they are an invasion of privacy to travelers, a costly national project, and would be an ineffective method for increasing security. The solution to the problem dealing with body scanners is to not install them in airports at all, but to stay with traditional methods and finding other means to improve on the current system.