Invasion of the Body Scanners

A Security Surprise

I am a frequent traveler for work and am pretty up on the security routine. Last month, however, I was on my way to New York from Seattle. The flight left quite early, so after rousing myself at 3:30am wasn't exactly my most alert self going through airport screening. I have a system for making my passage through screening as efficient as possible and usually have little need to interact with the security screeners. This time, however, as I prepared to head through the metal detector a female agent quite adamantly refused my passage since I had my driver's license in my hand. I told her it was non-metallic but she demanded I go back and put it in the scanner. This was odd as I usually keep my license with me throughout the screening process. It wasn't until after I sent my license through the X-ray machine that I noticed that I was actually being sent through two blue walls and was asked to stand on a pair of footprints with my hands over my head. I was in a full-body scanner! Rather than make a scene at this point I did as I was told (stand still for 10 seconds while who knows what was happening) then exited the contraption and was asked to stand face-to-face with a TSA agent while he waited for word on whether or not I should be allowed to pass. We waited what seemed like an uncomfortable length of time then he said, "Where is the anomaly?" into the headset. We waited. He repeated. Finally I heard him say something like, "No, this is not a woman" then he said I was free to go. I wasn't sure how to take that comment, but it did make me wonder what the answer to the anomaly question might have been.

After that experience, I sat at my gate a little annoyed at the whole proceeding. I also started wondering about exactly what the machine I just allowed myself to be scanned by does. So I got out my iPad and started doing research. The results of my research made me vow that I would "opt out" of full body scanning from that point on. Since then, I have followed the media developments and would recommend we ALL opt out of the scanners.

The Scanner

The body scanner I went through uses X-Ray technology and is manufactured by Rapiscan Systems. This corporation has close ties to Michael Chertoff, the former Department of Homeland Security Secretary under George W. Bush. Chertoff is a strong advocate for whole-body scanning, and is a lobbyist for Rapiscan. The sales of these systems are making Chertoff an awful lot of money. There are other full-body scanning technologies based on radio waves that do not use X-rays.

Safety Concerns

Unfortunately, X-rays are known to have the potential to damage human DNA and can be a potential cause of cancer. The TSA claims for the amount of radiation an individual is subjected to is, from what I can determine, low. Actual dosages, most third-party experts surmise, are probably 20 times higher than advertised. Nonetheless, the dosages are very low, perhaps 1/100th of a chest X-ray. That said, since radiation exposure accumulates over time, if I were to go through security for every flight last year I'd have the equivalent of an extra chest x-ray or two in the year. Safe? Probably. But no one really knows for sure. Last weeks' episode of Science Friday on NPR had a radiation expert discuss the issue in depth. I would suggest everyone listen to this program to get a better idea of the technology and risks before being herded into one of these machines. The short answer: the government says it isn't dangerous even for frequent fliers or airline personnel. They say they have tested the equipment and that we can "trust them." Yes, trust the government. I would rather trust but verify knowing some of the ill-fated actions of our own government in the past. Unfortunately it appears that no third-party has access to test these machines. Since there is no "radiation meter" how do we know what a silent machine might be doing?

Another concern is the fact that the TSA employees work in close proximity to radiation-generating equipment but are not provided with any means to measure their exposure. Radiation dosimetry badges are routinely worn by medical personnel and researches who work in radiation departments. The badges are cheap and ensure that over time no individual is overdosed with radiation. But the TSA will not provide these to their employees.

Privacy Concerns

Many are concerned about the fact that these images reveal too much and might leak out or otherwise embarrass the scan-ee. I don't really worry too much about that, but although the government says it is "impossible" for these images to be retained, I think we know better. Mobile cameras are everywhere, so it seems plausible a TSA employee might use one to take snapshots of their screen. Beyond that, however, public documents make it clear that these machines do have the ability to store and send images as that was one of the features the government required. "Trust us, we're the government." The government claims that they can only send and store images in "test mode" and that "test mode" is impossible for airport personnel to activate. But the government declines to have anyone verify that this is indeed the case, nor even expand on the mechanism in-place to ensure privacy.

Bad Security

Worst of all, all this effort, time, and money is probably one of the less effective ways to deal with airport security. In response to the "underwear bomber", these scanners supposedly plug that security hole. But it appears that may not even be the case. Many of the items easily seen on the scan were already detectable by metal detectors. Instead of developing a system of prevention, these scanners continue our security theater by fighting the last war rather than thinking ahead to the future.

Israeli security experts in Tel Aviv have never deployed such machines, and it appears the reason why is that they just don't work. Rafi Sela, the former chief security officer of the Israel Airport Authority with 30-years experience in airport security claimed he can smuggle enough explosives through these machines to bring down a 747 when addressing Canada's parliament. Israel appears to rely on intelligent interrogation by numerous people you encounter as you make your way through the airport. Key here is "intelligent." Israel places highly-trained personnel at their airports who know where to focus their resources and determine where the true threats to aviation lie. Rather than invest in paying for training and investing in the TSA personnel to make them expert interrogators likely to uncover known and unknown risks to aviation, we instead have cast our lot with training them to to herd people through mindless machines that claim to be able to cope with all threats. Michael Chertoff and other businessmen like this because they can make a ton of money selling machines that will no doubt become obsolete very quickly as terrorists adjust their behavior, requiring new improved versions of the machines to deal with the next threat that comes through. They simply can't make a ton of money training people in proven interrogation techniques, so they lobby strongly for the automation. And we all are herded like cattle into these machines, most of us having no more questions than the cow who's about to get a bolt into their skull. Radiation in the skull may not have the same drama, but who knows about the long-term effects.

Just Say No

The second time I was asked to enter a machine in Montreal I was prepared and immediately opted out. The agent wasn't too happy and attempted to persuade me by saying "these are totally safe machines that don't use the same technology you are probably worried about." I told her I couldn't really tell anything about how safe or not this machine is by just looking at it and opted out. I received a highly invasive pat-down, but at least I was confident that the procedure was safe and I knew who it was who had rubbed my chest, groin, thighs, and butt. I would rather look the screener in the eye and be a human to them rather than have my naked image sent to a private room where some faceless agent looked on. But most importantly, I did not have to try to determine if the agent was telling me the full story when she said the machine was totally safe. I didn't have to wonder if the vast amounts of money involved might lead some people to downplay real risks in these machines. I did not need to consult a doctor, physicist, engineer, and who knows whoever else to decide if the procedure I had just been exposed to was a health risk. No, instead I just got felt up by a stranger.

We cannot blindly allow our government to take a path that may have hidden health risks, may not improve security in any appreciable way, and wastes a ton of taxpayers money when clear alternatives exist. Instead of pursuing a policy of making airport security something any idiot with a cattle prod could conduct, I want to feel that the people I encounter at the airport are diligent, truly looking for threats. Machines and procedures always develop blind spots, and terrorists are continually trying to capitalize on those blind sports. Well-trained people are not so easy to design around. But building a staff of well-trained people for our airports is a challenge that does not mean lots of cash for a small group of Washington lobbyists.

Tomorrow has been declared national "opt-out" day. For me, that will now be every day.