Privacy Maven

Today marks the debut of a new version of the controversial “backscatter” body scan, to be used as part of airport security measures in Phoenix. As USA Today reports:

Travelers at the city’s Sky Harbor International Airport will receive body scans from a machine the Transportation Security Administration is testing to see if it can be used throughout the USA. The millimeter-wave machine uses similar technology to a controversial X-ray scanner, called backscatter, that the TSA delayed for several years because of privacy concerns.

The new machine, which resembles a large phone booth, bounces harmless radio waves off travelers as they stand inside for several seconds with their arms raised. It produces black-and-white computer images that clearly show the outlines of people’s undergarments.

Like its backscatter predecessor, the new machine raises privacy concerns. American Civil Liberties Union privacy expert Barry Steinhardt said the test could pave the way for the machines to be used in arenas and schools. “It’s conditioning Americans to the use of these invasive technologies,” he said.

The machine being tested in Phoenix blurs passengers’ faces completely and instantly deletes the images. Screeners view the images from a remote room where cellphones are barred to ensure photos aren’t taken.

The predecessor, “backscatter” X-ray technology had also been in use at the Phoenix airport and its debut in February of this year was similarly controversial. It was used in spite of potential health risks:

While security agency officials say the machines, known as SmartCheck, pose no health hazards, some experts disagree. The machine, manufactured by American Science and Engineering Inc. of Billerica, Mass., generates about as much radiation as a passenger would get flying for about two minutes at about 30,000 feet, or in technical terms, fewer than 10 microRem per scan, according to security agency and company officials. The machine is already being used in some prisons, by United States customs and at Heathrow Airport in London.

Dr. Albert J. Fornace Jr., an expert in molecular oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center, said such a low dose was inconsequential, even for pregnant women.

“Obviously, no radiation is even better than even a very low level,” Dr. Fornace said. “But this is trivial.”

But David J. Brenner, a professor of radiation oncology at Columbia University, said that even though the risk for any individual was extremely low, he would still avoid it.

“The question is, Do you want to add to your already existing risk?” Professor Brenner said, recommending that pregnant women and young children, in particular, avoid the device. “There are other technologies around that can probably do the job just as well without the extra radiation.”

Health risks of the new technology are unknown. What is undeniable is that the images are graphic. Privacy Maven will not publish any of these images, but a Google image search reveals numerous examples of the invasiveness of the technology.