Prepare for a TSA Body Scan or Pat Down

New Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security measures, which include a full-body image scan and more thorough pat-downs, have caused a lot of controversy and debate across the country. Many groups have raised concerns about privacy, personal space, and the effectiveness of these security measures. While it is likely this debate will continue on for some time, it is important to understand the new procedures to better prepare for your next flight.

Steps

  1. Check to see what security measures your airport uses. As of Nov. 15, 2010, 68 airports across the nation use TSA advanced imaging technology and a total of 385 units are in place. The TSA keeps a list of all airports using the full-body image scanners, or you can call your airport ahead of time.
  2. Know the facts about TSA body scanners. With misinformation spreading about the new TSA procedures, it is vital to know fact from fiction. The TSA uses two types of full-body image scanners, millimeter wave and backscatter units, to detect potential threats underneath clothing without using any physical contact.

    Although there have not been any long term studies on their effects, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved both types of technology as safe for all passengers. The images are evaluated by a TSA officer separate from the one assisting passengers with the scanner, and those officers are prohibited from bringing cell-phones, cameras or any photo-enabled device into the viewing area. After the TSA officer clears the passenger, it is claimed that the image is immediately deleted from the system and cannot be saved, printed or transferred. The TSA estimates the entire process takes less than 1 minute.
    • Millimeter Wave Units: This type of scanner bounces electromagnetic waves off the body of passengers to create a 3-dimensional black and white image, similar to a photo negative.
    • Backscatter Units: This type of scanner uses low-level X-rays to generate a reflection of the passenger’s body that resembles a chalk etching. According to the TSA, the radiation exposure is equivalent to being in an airplane for about 2 minutes. However, radiation experts from the University of California, San Francisco, recently sent a letter warning President Obama's science assistant that the machines pose potentially serious health risks, particularly to children, the elderly, and women.
  3. Know your rights. The full-body image scanners are optional and if you choose not to use them, you will receive an alternate screening that includes a pat-down performed by an officer of the same gender as yourself. Previously, pat-downs were reserved for passengers who set off the metal detector, but now they are used for any passenger who opts out of the scanners or to resolve anomalies detected by the scan. The new pat-down procedure allows TSA officers to use fingers and palms to feel around genitals (including the groin) and breasts, over a passenger’s clothing. You can request that a pat-down be conducted in private and to have a travel partner be with you during the screening.
  4. Remove certain items before passing through a scanning unit. Just like going through a metal detector, it is recommended you remove items from your pockets, jewelry, watches, belts, coins, and cell phones before entering the scanner. These items can be perceived as an irregularity by the officer evaluating the images and further screening would then need to take place.
  5. Know where to voice any concerns you may have. Whether or not you feel comfortable receiving a full-body image scan or a thorough pat-down, these are the new requirements and no one can board a plane without successfully passing through security. If you would like to voice concern, as many others have done, write to your congressional representative. Also, various online petitions have begun to remove or modify the new security procedures.

Tips

  • Those opposed to the invasiveness of the pat-down and body scan policies of the TSA may wish to participate in "National Opt Out Day" on Wednesday, November 24 by opting out of scanning en masse on one of the busiest travel days of the year.[1]
  • You can report your experiences with body scanning and TSA pat-down searches at EPIC (the Electronic Privacy Information Center): https://epic.org/privacy/airtravel/backscatter/incident_report/
  • If you're under 13 it's most likely that you will not get a pat down. Most of the time people under 13 have multiple pass through the body scanners or have their hands swabbed instead of a pat down.

Warnings

  • Although the TSA claims it does not store any images, their systems are capable of storing and transmitting images for "testing, training and evaluation purposes."[2]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.optoutday.com/
  2. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/08/04/2010-08-04_feds_admit_they_stored_body_scanner_images_despite_tsa_claim_the_images_cannot_b.html
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