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DHS Tries To Hide Mobile Scanner Details

Posted by Unknown on from the the-new-black dept.

OverTheGeicoE writes "The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a Freedom of Information Act request last year (PDF) with the US Department of Homeland Security, whose Transportation Security Administration has been investigating the use of x-ray scanning technology for covert use in more public places, like train stations and even ordinary city streets. TSA has tested interesting devices like the Z Backscatter Vans both privately and on members of the general public. EPIC recently received new documents from DHS. Some of the documents are almost completely black from redactions."

21 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Doing a good job, too by chill · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The YouTube video in the first link is already yanked.

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    1. Re:Doing a good job, too by Fluffeh · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If you repeat the same lie enough, people will start to believe it.

      - We are doing this for YOUR safety. There is nothing here you need to worry about. Everything is OK.

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      Moved to http://soylentnews.org/. You are invited to join us too!
    2. Re:Doing a good job, too by cultiv8 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Here 'tis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iABPKd0vFxQ

      --
      sysadmins and parents of newborns get the same amount of sleep.
  2. So what if by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm walking down the street with a concealed handgun (perfectly legal in 30+ states) and the DHS van shows I'm packing heat. Next thing I know I'm on the ground with a knee in my back and automatic weapons pointed at me. Is this how it's going to work? Because if that's how it's going down, I see no reason not to overthrow this government now before it gets much worse. I'd rather live under anarchic self-rule than this nanny-state bullshit.

    1. Re:So what if by flaming+error · · Score: 3, Insightful

      > I see no reason not to overthrow this government now
      Some things are easier said than done, friend.

      But if you want government unlike the status quo, a potentially significant start would be to elect Ron Paul President. Whether he'll really be able to accomplish much I don't know, but he's not your typical republicrat.

    2. Re:So what if by http · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It's not nanny state. The aim is interference, not nurturing.

      --
      If opportunity came disguised as temptation, one knock would be enough.
      3^2 * 67^1 * 977^1
    3. Re:So what if by skr95062 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But if you want government unlike the status quo, a potentially significant start would be to elect Ron Paul President. Whether he'll really be able to accomplish much I don't know, but he's not your typical republicrat.

      Funny, I thought that was what Obama was going to do. After all he ran under the "Change you can believe in" and the "Yes, we can" slogans.

      So far I have not seen any change in the way the assholes in DC operate. Same old bullshit from politicians "I will make a difference in DC". Although it looks like he finally figured out that "Yes, we can" is really "No, we can't"

      What really blows my mind is how many people actually bought his bullshit and voted for the lying SOB. Yes, he is a lying SOB. There are numerous instances that prove it. This country would be much better off without 546 lawyers in DC.

      Democracy is a government that is afraid of it's citizens, Tyranny is the citizens afraid of the government.

      Which one we have is an exercise left for the reader.

  3. Re:Take a look at the FOIA doc by bistromath007 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You sank my battleship! :(

  4. Do I get paid? by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How much do I get for participating in these medical experiments. Better yet, how can I opt out?

  5. From the youtube video... by vux984 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "The ZBV produces electronically generated xrays that detect substances containing low atomic number elements such as carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen.

    These elements are often present in explosives and other contraband..."

    not to mention lumber, tofu, soil, cucumbers, coal, ice cream, books, mayonnaise, ham, and blankets...

  6. exposing random citizens to x-rays? by DragonTHC · · Score: 3, Insightful

    this is simply unacceptable. I wouldn't be surprised if people started carrying personal x-ray detectors. If you expose my children to x-rays while they're just walking in a public place, I have a serious issue with this. I can't even imagine what's gonna happen if a parent discovers their children have just been exposed.

    --
    They're using their grammar skills there.
  7. Re:Take a look at the FOIA doc by dgatwood · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is where you file a FOIA complaint and they get to sit there in front of a judge and explain why they deliberately attempted to evade a properly filed FOIA request with such a ridiculous response.

    Unfortunately, as far as I know, FOIA has no teeth, i.e. there's no way to prosecute these clowns for even such flagrant abuse. However, if a judge forces the information to be released and it is legally actionable information, they could potentially be charged with obstruction.

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  8. Re:Take a look at the FOIA doc by Trepidity · · Score: 3, Informative

    Responding to myself: from the full version of the release, it looks like (b)(5) was an annotation added on top of some blacked-out sections to cite which section of the FOIA justifies blanking out. Some other more limited redactions on later pages have a box saying (b)(6) next to them. So it's not that they blacked out a whole page except for a section heading; they blacked out the entire page and cited (b)(5) as the reason.

    --
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  9. the reason by nimbius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    your safety comes second and the governments ability to detect terrorists comes first, is because the death of US citizens is well known to be uncontroversial and tolerable, even on large scales such as katrina.

    What is absolutely intolerable is terrorism, because terrorism undermines the governments control of the populous. its one thing if an earthquake kills three thousand people, but its entirely different when a single terrorist accomplishes it...the terrorist draws unwanted attention to the united states government, its foreign policy, its structure and its members position in the class system.

    this is also incidentally why governments are loathe to negotiate with terrorists, regardless of the validity of their positions; a single person or idea should never be allowed to upset the balance of power as it stands.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
    1. Re:the reason by evanism · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The days of "the united states" seem well and truly over. Economically, politically and socially it has turned to despotism, desperation and an absence of morals.

      time to turn our attentions elsewhere while the poor old US eats itself alive with hate and fear.

      Wonder how long it will be before the hate mongers generate a war with China?

      --
      Just bought a new quantum computer, but I'm uncertain how it works.
    2. Re:the reason by inviolet · · Score: 4, Informative

      your safety comes second and the governments ability to detect terrorists comes first, is because the death of US citizens is well known to be uncontroversial and tolerable, even on large scales such as katrina.

      What is absolutely intolerable is terrorism, because terrorism undermines the governments control of the populous. its one thing if an earthquake kills three thousand people, but its entirely different when a single terrorist accomplishes it...

      Not quite. The real death toll from Katrina, for example, is still classified. Were it published, it would significantly undermine public confidence in their government.

      The published death toll involved a great deal of 'creative' counting. Oh yeah, lots died from electrocution, and from falling objects, and from heart attacks, and from lawless violence... but those aren't Katrina deaths, you see.

      --
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    3. Re:the reason by Bob9113 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The real death toll from Katrina, for example, is still classified.

      Classified?

      Are you saying the number is extremely hard to calculate perfectly, and so it is something other than 1836 (current number listed on Wikipedia), and depends on your definition, and nobody really knows?

      Or do you mean that the actual number including proximate deaths is well known and clearly documented by the government, significantly higher than the 1836 cited on Wikipedia, and has been intentionally prohibited from public view?

      If the latter, I am very intrigued by your supposition. Do you have a source?

      --
      Stop-Prism.org: Opt Out of Surveillance
  10. Re:I don't condone this by psyclone · · Score: 4, Informative

    This looks like it scans cars, containers, and even buildings if they chose:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iABPKd0vFxQ

  11. Time to wear tin-foil outfits. by ad454 · · Score: 3, Informative

    As a cancer survivor, it appears that I will need to start to wear tin-foil outfits from head-to-toe for health reasons whenever I use public transit or visit government buildings and other "risky" place. Thank you Obama, this will really encourage me to reduce my car usage and carbon footprint.

    Doctor Oz does not consider these scanners to be safe for the following 4 groups: cancer survivors, pregnant women, children, and elderly, and he recommends that they should avoid being scanned at airports.

      http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dangers-radiation-exposure-pt-4

    Check around 4:10, also at 1:30 as well.

  12. Meh by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    They should be easy to find. Just look for an SSID of 'DHS_MOBILE_SCANNING_VAN' to pop up in your wireless access point list.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  13. Re:How to tell? by orangesquid · · Score: 3, Informative

    See http://www.techlib.com/area_50/xraydefender.htm -- tho techlib.com isn't resolving right now (server down, I'll bet), so you'll just have to try an alternate source:

    http://www.techlib.com.nyud.net:8090/area_50/xraydefender.htm coral cache says gateway timed out...
    http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/www.techlib.com/area_50/xraydefender.htm wayback machine doesn't have it archived...
    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:SErH8Fhj52cJ:www.techlib.com/area_50/xraydefender.htm+site:techlib.com+backscatter&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&ie=UTF-8&source=www.google.com -- you can at least read the text on google, and get thumbnails of the images on the page:
    http://www.google.com/search?oe=UTF-8&q=site:techlib.com+backscatter&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi
    Too bad the schematic isn't readable at thumbnail-size, but maybe techlib.com will be back up soon?

    --
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