TSA's "Backscatter" Technology Leaves Nothing To The Imagination

Well, you knew it was coming... a government-funded security device that sees EVERYTHING. And now, it's here.

The TSA last week demonstrated the latest in "backscatter" technology -- a new scanner that penetrates clothing to reveal hidden objects -- no matter what they're made of.

It does basically make you look fat and naked, but you see all this stuff," said Susan Hallowell, at the TSA's security lab in Egg Harbor Township (NJ). She should know -- she offered to be the model in last week's media briefing. Stepping into the scan portal, her dark skirt, blue blazer and light-colored blouse disappeared on the black-and-white video monitor to leave her looking naked as a jaybird -- except, that is, for the gun and plastic explosive hidden on her person.

In fact, the technology appears to be so good that passengers undergoing this type of screening were a bit unnerved in trials conducted at Orlando International Airport last month.

Solutions? Well, the TSA could create some sort of electronic fig leaf to cover those parts you don't want your flying friends to see. Or, perhaps more practical, the TSA scanner and its operator could be secreted away in a private booth, away from the eyes of other passengers.

T hen again, as some pointed out, it's better than an intrusive pat down. Remember the case of Ava Kingsford (right)? She was so offended by TSA demands that she allow a female screener to pat down her breasts that she refused, rented a car and drove home rather than submit to the exam.

Still, "The public is willing to accept a certain amount of scrutiny at the airport, but there are clearly limits to the degree of invasion that is acceptable," said David Sobel, general counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington (DC). "It's hard to understand why something this invasive is necessary."

But here's the deal: magnometers currently used in airports nationwide can't detect plastic weapons or non-metal components used in explosives. The backscatter technology shown off at Egg Harbor Township last week does see these objects -- along with everything else.

FMI: www.tsa.gov