Skip to main content

New TSA Body Scans More Private, End Naked Images

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on July 21, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

It seems that the TSA's privacy issues came to a boil when they announced full-on body scans that seemed to let TSA agents get a complete eyeful of a passenger's naked body. New TSA body scan software, however, might make the privacy issue moot - at least in relation to body scanners.

With new software installed, the TSA full-body scanner will no longer display a person's naked body on the screen.

Instead, the new software will make it that the display will show a generic body outline, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Basically, the software will be able to detect if any threats are present on the passenger. If there aren't any detectable threats, the monitor will read "OK." If there is some indication of risk, then the passenger will have to undergo additional screening.

So, while our privacy may be improved with naked body scan images a thing of the past, TSA pat-down procedures might still be here to stay. After all, if the machine detects something abnormal, what kind of additional screening do you think will be required of passengers?

Many have complained that TSA pat-downs and screenings are particularly invasive. And, while this body scan software likely won't completely erase privacy concerns with airport screening procedures, it will likely quell some of the complaints.

What are some other examples of TSA's privacy and invasive techniques that have come under fire? An aggressive pat-down of a 6-year-old, a woman who had to take off her underwear in a private room and a man who's urostomy bag that contained urine spilled after a pat-down, reports CBS News.

The TSA's new body scan software will likely solve at least some of the problems present in airport screening. TSA's privacy battles, however, will not be erased overnight - the TSA has two kinds of body scanning devices. The new software can be used on millimeter-wave scanners, but the software needs to still be tested on backscatter machines, reports MSNBC.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard