TSA hopes modifications make X-ray not so X-rated

[unhappycamper]

TSA hopes modifications make X-ray not so X-rated
By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
Posted 8/15/2005 11:20 PM
Updated 8/16/2005 10:18 AM

WASHINGTON — The revealing X-ray machines that the federal government wants to use on airline passengers are getting a makeover.

The Transportation Security Administration is paying two manufacturers to develop ways to expose weapons but conceal body parts.

The machines bounce low-radiation X-rays off a person's skin to produce photolike computer images of metal, plastic and organic materials hidden under clothes. They have the potential to detect all weapons on passengers, including plastic knives and explosives that won't set off the metal detectors now used at airport checkpoints. But the American Civil Liberties Union calls them "a virtual strip search."

The TSA now hopes to test modified "backscatter" machines in a few airports this fall that will solve the privacy issue. That's a "significant software challenge" because wiping out body parts also makes weapons less visible, says Peter Kant, a vice president at backscatter maker Rapiscan Systems.

MORE
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-08-15-tsa-xrays_x.htm

[Stuckinthebush]

1. The X-rated part is the least of the worries

It is the low dose radiation that is a problem. Frequent flyers beware.