Boston Airport Replacing X-ray Body Scanners

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Boston Airport Replacing X-ray Body Scanners

Posted by Soulskill on Friday October 5, 2012 @05:22AM from the we-have-all-kinds-of-light-waves-to-blast-you-with dept.

OverTheGeicoE writes "Boston's Logan International Airport is in the process of replacing its X-ray body scanners with millimeter-wave ones. According to the article, nine of the new scanners have been installed already, and ultimately 27 of these scanners will replace the 17 X-ray backscatter scanners that were installed in March of 2010. The new devices are 'being installed come with software that replaces "passenger-specific images" — or nearly naked views of travelers — with generic outlines that highlight only anomalies such as belts, jewelry, wallets — or guns or bombs.' Perhaps this will help TSA workers avoid being part of a cancer cluster. Some speculate that TSA will ultimately eliminate all of its X-ray body scanners."

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Interesting by tool462 · 2012-10-05 05:29 · Score: 4, Interesting

I wonder if ..um... shall we say "abnormally endowed" men will have their endowments highlighted as a generic outline?
If not, countdown until we hear about the "dildo-bomber" on the news...
just to be clear by nimbius · 2012-10-05 05:33 · Score: 4, Interesting

1. its still an invasion of privacy as the outline concept or any other concept related to the technology cannot be verified
2. its still a health risk
tin foil bonus round: it would also be much easier considering the entirety of the TSA revolves around security theater to simply remove the existing units, replace the chassis, and reinstall them with livery to suggest millimeter wave scanning is in progress.

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Good people go to bed earlier.
Re:Looking back at history by Applekid · 2012-10-05 05:55 · Score: 3, Interesting

We're going through the Gilded Age and McCarthyism for the second time now, how many times does history have to repeat itself until we learn?
Fear is instinctual, so learning can't possibly win that fight.

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More Twoson than Cupertino
Except.... by Luthair · 2012-10-05 06:03 · Score: 5, Interesting

millimeter wave scanners may unzip dna strands and no studies have been done about the long term effects of human exposure, hurray!
Re:tsa blowing taxpayer money for no benefit by ZeroSumHappiness · 2012-10-05 06:32 · Score: 3, Interesting

The problem wasn't the communism. The problem was the "show me your papers." We just learned how to import the second part without the first, it seems.
Re:tsa blowing taxpayer money for no benefit by Mitreya · 2012-10-05 06:38 · Score: 3, Interesting

Food is essential but farmers are allowed to make a profit on it. The scanners are offensive because of the loss of freedom they represent, not because someone is making a profit on them.
People _need_ food.
The scanner are _mandated_ by law.
Profiting from something that had been decreed necessary and made a monopoly by the government is the problem. Where are my non-TSA airports so that I could vote with my wallet? They would probably be cheaper, but I'd pay more to make my point.