"No Scan, No Fly" At Heathrow and Manchester

An anonymous reader writes "It is now compulsory for people selected for a full body scan to take part, or they will not be allowed to fly from Heathrow or Manchester airports. There is no optional pat down. Also, a rule which meant that people under 18 were not allowed to participate in the body scanner trial has been overturned by the government. There is no mention of blurring out the genitals, however reports a few years back said X-ray backscatter devices aren't effective unless the genitals of people going through them are visible."

Comments

Re:Another reason not to fly via Heathrow

[Teun]

I largely agree with you, a fear of nakedness can never be an excuse for less security.

But certain measures need to be in place and well communicated, like who is actually looking at the scan and what happens to the pictures after it's done.

Especially in the case of the Brits and Americans I'd have some worries about the last issue.

Re:Read the article, please.

[Puff_Of_Hot_Air]

War on Privacy? Are you serious? What exactly do you have to hide or protect that would make you so paranoid?

My penis. This is the reason I wear pants. I would like to keep my penis private please.

Re:Another reason not to fly via Heathrow

[dov_0]

Jeez, what's the big deal?>Why are we so quick to promote a high level of body-image self-consciousness (and then turn around and blame it solely on the media) for such mundane things as our naked bodies.

To expose ones body or to preserve one's modesty is not a question of body-image. It is simply a matter of choice and sometimes of culture. For example, in Nepalese culture (I've chosen Nepalese culture as I do a lot of work with young people from Nepal), men are generally shocked by the fact that Australians and Americans shower together after swimming at a public pool. They think it is disgusting! These same men have far fewer hang-ups about their bodies than their Western counterparts. They don't seem to care about penis size, or get worried if they think they are developing early or late. As long as the muscles in their arms look half decent, they're happy. Meanwhile their Western cousins are still stressing out trimming their pubes to make their dick look longer in the gym shower and keeping a tape measure in their bedside drawer...

Some people think differently to you. They are not wrong. They have every bit as much right to their opinion and the privacy and choice over their own bodies as you do. If you want to walk down the street naked, go ahead, but don't say other people are wrong when they choose not to.