System Is "Passive And Radiation-Free"
Amsterdam's Schiphol International
Airport has begun testing on a new security scanning system that
shows a dim outline of a passenger's body allowing security
personnel to see, literally, underneath your clothes. The system
blurs the face, but not... other places.
But people in Amsterdam (typically a rather mellow lot --
Ed.) don't seem to mind at all.
"People figure, if this is going to let me get through the lines
quicker, then I'll do it," airport spokeswoman Miriam Snoerwang
told the Associated Press.
The new system being tested utilizes "millimeter wave"
technology as part of anti-terrorism efforts. The Department of
Homeland Security is eyeing it for testing here in the United
States.
"Millimeter wave" differs from the "backscatter" system
currently being tested at certain US airports, like Phoenix Sky
Harbor International Airport, in that it uses low-energy radio
waves, as opposed to high-energy X-rays. The new system "provides a
completely passive, safe and radiation-free real-time scan"
according to QinetiQ, a company that makes such scanners.
"Active Millimeter Waves are common radio-frequency signals that
reflect off objects at extremely low power signal levels,"
according to L3 SafeView, the company that manufactures the scanner
being tested. "The signal levels are many times lower than signals
used by cell phones or garage door openers plus it uses NO ionizing
radiation (x-rays.)" The company asserts this technology has been
found to produce no health risks whatsoever.
The SafeScout (shown at right) detects objects made of metal,
ceramic, plastic, wood, or any other concealable material. Each
scan takes little more then a second each.
The backscatter scanners being tested in the US can be
configured to blur faces and other areas of the body. The SafeScout
blurs only faces. Snoerwang said this was necessary because
otherwise "women could just hide things by stuffing them in their
bras."
If testing goes well, the airport expects to expand to at least
17 machines this year. The system is also being tested in Mexico
City and London, among others.
A brochure explaining the system is distributed to passengers,
but Snoerwang said there have been no objections about trading a
little privacy for increased security since testing began
Tuesday.
Some airport personnel have minded, however. Personnel were
tested prior to the public launch and "there were some complaints,
but they were being tested five times per week," she said.
Some female employees wanted a fuller explanation of exactly
what can be seen, she said.
As with the backscatter scanners, the guard who sees the image
is located elsewhere and does not physically see the person being
scanned. When a passenger is cleared, the guard signals to let
allow the passenger to pass.
The American Civil Liberties Union has called the backscatter
and the millimeter wave systems a "virtual strip-search" but has so
far filed no legal complaints.
Snoerwang said the images generated by the machine were not like
photographs.
"They're kind of futuristic. There's nothing sexy about it," she
said.