Dear Airport Authority, TSA, and/or Agencies responsible for security,
As a member of the traveling public who, over the years, has adjusted my habits in order to streamline the airport security experience not only for myself but for fellow passengers, I want it to be known that I will be adjusting my habits again to take in account the use of full body scanners.
Not only will I be wearing pants that don’t require a belt and slip on shoes, and sorting all my personals into plastic baggies for easy screening, now I will be checking in my carry-on luggage which, for so many years, has been the only luggage I have had to bring on any trip up to a week in length.
I fully understand the need for security and I appreciate your desire to heighten measures at airports, especially in light of recent events.
I am however, concerned that the way in which your security measures have been implemented are purely reactive and not proactive.
Given the rush in which these scanners have been brought into service, I am concerned that there has not been enough testing done to ensure passenger health and privacy is protected.
I would, therefore, like to make it very clear that should naked images of me appear on the Internet that were derived from the use of the full body scan or if I should acquire any form of medical condition attributed to the twenty or more scans I will be undergoing this year, I may consider taking appropriate legal action and seeking compensation in all of the jurisdictions in which I underwent a scan.
Also note that any other individuals who have undergone similar humiliation or medical distress as a result of the rapid deployment of these scanners will also be invited to join any action launched in these jurisdictions.
This letter is by no means a threat, either intended or implied, but rather a simple acknowledgment that, as a traveler, it appears that I have no choice in whether or not I am screened in this way.
Since I have no choice, should you choose to proceed with screening me, I would expect that you and your agency would take full responsibility for any negative consequences that are related to your use of this technology.
I hope that you have taken the time to ensure that by the time I walk through that full body scan next month, that my genitals will be appropriately obscured and that my fragile DNA will be appropriately protected from mutation causing radiation.
All the best for safe and secure 2010.
Kind Regards,
Stephen Joyce
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About Stephen Joyce
Stephen: I am not so concerned about your genitals (sorry, I couldn’t resist that), but the radiation does worry. Frequent travelers will get scanned way more than 20 times per year, and governmental authorities always tend to downplay the impact of radiation and other hazards.
What will be the long-term health impact of these scanners? There may have been some studies, but no long-term studies, for sure.
This is of great concern.
On a side note, you will be checking your bags from now on. So will many other people who didn’t do so before. I wonder if the airlines’ bag-fee business will get a boost.
Hey, here’s a radical idea. The airlines should eliminate the bag fees or reduce them as part of their contribution to patriotism and airline security.
Sadly the TSA is not merely immune from liability and prosecution, even the regulations that govern their operations are classified and are unavailable to your lawyer should you want to sue them or the federal government for any reason, for example the publication of your scan images.
They are literally above the law, as the seizure of an elderly marine general’s medal of honor (it was considered a potential weapon due to its metal content) and the inclusion of the late Senator Kennedy’s name on the no-fly list demonstrates.
Yes, that is an issue isn’t it. In Canada, the Province of Quebec has legislation written into the Charter of rights and freedoms that protects privacy and allows for legal action and compensation should an individual’s privacy rights be violated. If that kind of legislation were available Worldwide, I think it would change the whole debate around these scanners. I still feel the better solution is to train security staff in behavioral profiling and continuously screen passengers throughout their entire airport experience rather than just at the security line. This is what Israel has been doing for years and they are under constant threat of terrorist attacks. I heard an interview with an Israeli security consultant this morning in which he stated that airport security is North America is a poor excuse for security. One comment he made that I found interesting was that Israeli security doesn’t care what you bring on the flight with you, if you are considered a trusted traveler.
Being a frequent traveler I will according to Dennis probably “get scanned way more than 20 times per year”. Last weekend I could already check my first time this year and faced the airlines’ “contribution to patriotism” first-hand by not being charged for any of my 5 bags on my way back from Canada.
Interestingly I was not allowed to bring a headset case, camera case or similar within my carry-on luggage which was required to not be a briefcase or backpack but a small pocket book, laptop bag or similar. I guess this opens up a complete new fashion line for see-through bags. At this time, running out of options, I traveled with a recyclable supermarket bag.
http://pass-consulting-travel.blogspot.com/2010/01/airline-security-today-and-its-impact.html