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.

FMI: www.schiphol.nl/home/Index.jsp, www.safeviewinc.com