British lawmakers say privacy concerns raised by body scanners are overblown

by Abdurrahman on Mar 25, 2010 Body Scanner, Privacy, Security • Comments Closed • Body Scanner, Privacy, Security

LONDON (AP) — The privacy fears raised by the deployment of full body scanners at airports are overblown, a committee of British lawmakers said Wednesday, adding that the technology was no more of a threat to passengers’ rights than pat-downs or bag searches.

The government promised to install body scanners across Britain’s airports after a botched attempt to bring down a Detroit-bound jet on Dec. 25 — allegedly by a terrorist who hid explosives in his underwear. But privacy groups bristled at the prospect of scans that can peer under clothes to reveal hidden items, likening them to a “virtual strip search.”

The lawmakers said the fears were over-hyped.

“Air passengers already tolerate a large invasion of their privacy,” the House of Commons’ Home Affairs Committee said in a report covering counterterrorism measures at Britain’s airports. “We do not feel that full body scanners add greatly to this situation.”

The report welcomed the introduction of the scanners and recommended that other security measures be adopted quickly, including new equipment to sniff out trace levels of explosives. (more…)

Full-body scans at airports might violate teachings of some faiths

by muqaddas on Mar 25, 2010 Body Scanner, Islam, Privacy, Security, Terrorism, US • 1 Comment • Airport, Body Scanner, Privacy, Security, Terrorism

By Helen T. Gray, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

A security officer examines a computer screen showing a scan from a RapiScan full-body scanner at Manchester Airport, Photograph by: Phil Noble, Reuters

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – As Mahnaz Shabbir thought about a coming flight, she grew worried about the full-body scanners used at some airports.

Kansas City International Airport will be one of 11 airports getting body scanners by this summer, federal authorities announced last week. The scanner coming to KCI would be installed at a security checkpoint serving Southwest Airlines.

Shabbir is concerned that the scanners might compromise the modesty teachings in Islam. Other religious groups, such as Orthodox Jews and conservative Christians, express similar views.

The question is whether religious teachings on modesty will be trampled in the march toward better security.

“In Islam, both men and women should dress modestly,” said Shabbir, who does diversity training. “Women covering their arms, chest and hair are part of being modest, even though some Muslim women may not cover their hair and even wear sleeveless tops.

“But the body scan is going underneath our clothing and going where nobody should be looking except your spouse and your physician. So when some strange person, even in another room, is looking at you, my thought is, ‘Oh, my gosh, who is looking at my body?’” (more…)

The first case of sexual harassment via full body scanner

by Asad on Mar 25, 2010 Abuse, Body Scanner, Privacy, Security • Comments Closed • Abuse, Body Scanner, Privacy, Security

Uh oh. Bad news for full body scanner proponents. A 25-year-old airport worker in Britain has been “issued a warning” for sexual harassment for taking a scan of a female colleague, Jo Margetson, against her will.

Apparently, she thinks the scanners are mighty invasive:

“I can’t bear to think about the body scanner thing,” she told the Sun. “I’m totally traumatised. I’ve spoken to the police about it. I’m in too much of a state to go to work.”

via Airport worker given police warning for ‘misusing’ body scanner | UK news | guardian.co.uk.

Hmmmm, a Heathrow airport attendant flipping out because she was scanned isn’t very reassuring to anyone with privacy concerns about the machines.

On the other hand, she may be a very private person (Margetson only has 60 friends on Facebook, after all.) And the Guardian story does not clarify what exactly her role is at the airport. Maybe she’s not actually a “scanner person” and has been fooled by this hoax into thinking her colleague captured a porn star version of her.

Her privacy concerns were not allayed by her coworker, who, according to news reports, allegedly told her “I love those gigantic tits” after taking the scan.

It sounds like that guy was going to get hit with a sexual harassment charge regardless of the scanners.

Two women barred from flight to Pakistan for refusing full-body scan

by Jamal on Mar 25, 2010 Body Scanner, Pakistan, Privacy, Security, Terrorism, Women • Comments Closed • Body Scanner, Pakistan, Privacy, Security, Terrorism, Women

Muslim woman and companion gave religious and medical reasons for refusing scan at Manchester airport

Manchester and Heathow are the first airports in Britain to have full-body scanners. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

Two women, one a Muslim, have become the first people to be barred from boarding a flight because they refused to go through a full-body airport scanner.

Manchester airport confirmed today that the women, who were booked to fly to Islamabad with Pakistan International Airlines, were told they could not get on the plane after they refused to be scanned for medical and religious reasons.

The women had been selected at random, said the airport.

The Muslim woman decided to forfeit her ticket and left her luggage at the airport. Her companion also left the airport saying she did not go through the scanner on medical grounds because she had an infection. (more…)

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British lawmakers say privacy concerns raised by body scanners are overblown

Full-body scans at airports might violate teachings of some faiths

The first case of sexual harassment via full body scanner

Two women barred from flight to Pakistan for refusing full-body scan

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