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EPIC Uncovers: Mobile Scanners Not 'Certified People Scanners'

Posted by timothy on from the move-along-citizens-oh-wait dept.

OverTheGeicoE writes "The Electronic Privacy Information Center received more FOIA documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding mobile x-ray scanners (a.k.a. Z Backscatter Vans). We've discussed these devices before. Perhaps the most interesting part is slide #11 ('Disclaimer About Scanning People') on page 6 of this PDF explaining that the radiation output of these devices is too high to comply with ANSI N43.17. In other words, they output too much radiation even by TSA's questionable standards for airport body scanners. Regardless, the slide ends with the author stating that the ANSI standard 'is not applicable to covert operations.' What might that assertion have meant to the presentation's intended audience?"

2 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. Gee, what a shock by betterunixthanunix · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Nobody saw that coming, right?

    Here's a better question to ask: which official is going to wind up taking the fall for these wastes of tax dollars? So far, we know the following about these machines:
    1. They are very expensive
    2. Tests of the machines have shown that most knives and even guns can sneak through the machines undetected
    3. They are outside of what the TSA itself considers safe

    This was an obvious sweetheart deal, and someone is going to have to get in trouble for it. Obama or his successor will probably pardon that person, since it will just be a fall guy and nobody wants to start an investigation that would keep expanding until half of capitol hill was implicated.

    --
    Palm trees and 8
  2. ZBV at the border by Windrip · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Comments so far are missing a salient feature of these things: they are in use at the U.S. border.

    Trucks drive past them at the border (oh, they're just mezkins...)

    They are located north of the border, by approx. 30 miles (DHS calls it "defense in depth"). See them in my neck of the woods in Arizona on: northbound I/19, eastbound Hwy 82, northbound Hwy 83, northbound Hwy 90

    To the assholes who have no problem with this: how many checkpoints do you drive through on your way to work?

    You can see a picture of these vans via the earlier /. link