First Trials Begin Wednesday At TUL

Airline passengers may soon be able to skip passing through metal detectors and instead be screened by whole-body, millimeter-wave imaging devices, the Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday.

USA Today reports TSA launched an experimental program Wednesday at Tulsa International Airport (TUL), with further tests planned over the next two months at airports in Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Miami. Passengers will be directed to use the new machines in lieu of conventional metal detectors, said TSA spokesman Christopher White.

White adds informational placards and displays, including a generic scan image, will be posted on the machines explaining how the work. Nevertheless, privacy rights advocates expressed concerns that passengers may not realize what the scans entail.

Each full-body scanner costs $170,000, compared with the $10,000 pricetag for a metal detector. TSA says the extra money is worth it, as the new machines are able to detect non-metallic weapons, such as plastic or liquid explosives.

It's what the machines also detect, however, has raised concerns about privacy rights. A full-body scanner produces a digital image of the human body, warts and all -- including outlines of private body parts -- which will be monitored by TSA personnel in a separate room close to the checkpoint.

The technology has been likened to "an electronic strip search" by the American Civil Liberties Union.

White attempted to downplay those concerns, noting anyone not comfortable with the full body scanner will be able to instead go through a metal detector, and then be patted down by screeners. Faces will be blurred, White adds, and the images are supposed to be deleted as soon as they pass scrutiny.

A full-body scanner "really does not reveal as much as some people think," said Christopher Bidwell, head of security matters for the Airport Council International-North America.

While the security advantages of millimeter-wave technology are clear -- so to speak -- the time required to conduct each test may further clog already-congested checkpoints. Security analyst Bruce Schneier notes a full-body scan takes about twice as long as a normal sweep through a metal detector -- about 30 seconds per person -- and that could have detrimental effects.

"There will be pressure to do the screening faster, which will be sloppier," said Schneier, who USA Today notes is a frequent critic of TSA policies.

FMI: www.tsa.gov