Invasion of Privacy or Safety
The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) and the U.S. Government have been working on ways to us safe. Throughout the years, they have come up with many procedures and innovations that have forever changed the way we fly, and how safe we are. They introduced the metal detector, a truly pioneering technology that stopped many a criminal from sneaking in with a gun or bomb. Over time though, after no one tried that anymore, things got a little more lax around the security department. Suddenly, the 911 attacks occurred. This was a big slap in the face for the government; someone got through their supposedly unbreakable shields, and a terrorist nonetheless. After this tragedy, airports and any places of aviation are much more secure than they ever were before, and anyone who has sat in a security line forever or been patted down meticulously would agree. They needed something better though, and their answer came in a surprising, futuristic form.
Enter the “full body imaging” scans. This is essentially a strip search on screen, and it will be used to detect any sort of objects concealed on someone’s person, and take them away. The idea arose from the x-rays already used to scan bags and carry on items at the security points. They wondered if a similar technology could be used on humans and detect things that were being carried. The point is, this machine removes the human error of a bad pat-down and possibly some of the embarrassment that comes with it. Many people claim they have been inappropriately handled in a pat down. These pat downs were controversial for this reason, although the TSA thought that safety was worth a bit of embarrassment.
These full body imagers have people more worried though. It is one thing if you have to endure a bit of touchy feely in a pat down, but it is another for someone to virtually strip you down just to see if you have objects. Throughout most tests done, this technology is not very good at hiding people’s “private parts” and these are usually completely visible to the person watching the screen.
People will be alerted of these new technologies as they pass through the security checkpoint, and this means most will not know at all, as the plans have been kept hush-hush. There stands a big question in front of us: privacy or safety? Privacy of not being stripped via a computer, or safety by knowing no weapons are sneaking through. While this is not an easy decision, a healthy compromise can be reached.
