A new security scanner at Meadows Field works exactly the same way as those that sparked last year's controversy over airport security screenings that produced detailed under-clothing images of travelers.
But the software is different.
Instead of a ghostly, X-ray-like image of the individual person, the machine at Meadows Field unveiled Tuesday produces a low-resolution, computer-generated image on which the computer projects a yellow blot in the area of any "anomaly" -- Transportation Security Administration terminology for anything hidden under clothing that "shouldn't be there."Unfortunately, it just continues with the standard TSA-line on the cartoon software scanners with no further journalism besides what the TSA fed them.
Contrast the above with this more standard-issue press report [emphasis added]:
Full body scanners have been installed at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield.Or this one, that just has lies from the TSA without further investigation:
But, these are a new generation of scanners that are not as invasive as past body scans that caused public outcry.
The Advanced Imaging Technology will use new software to identify anomalies on a passenger without the "full monte" review.
About 800 of the $150,000 scanners are being used at 90 airports across the country, now including Bakersfield's Meadows Field. And it's actually making the security process more efficient; just 30 seconds and you're on your way.More efficient?! I think not. The software-upgraded scanners are more efficient than the backscatter or original millimeter wave scanners, but certainly less efficient than not having scanners (which, I believe, that Bakersfield did not previously have any scanners)!
Efficiency does not make me feel any better. Radiation still causes cancer.
ReplyDeleteYes, but it goes to show that they'll parrot anything an "official" tells them. And the TSA will say anything for a good spin on their boondoggles.
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