THURSDAY, Jan. 14, 2010
U.S examines ‘human and systemic failures’ in security, as nations look to body-imaging technology to help fight ware on terrorism.
The failed attempt to bomb a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25 is leading to increased pressure to deploy advanced imaging technology to screen passengers for explosives. But decisions about where and how to employ high-tech means to improve aviation security worldwide cannot be made without addressing a myriad of divergent political, technical and financial issues.
Full-body scanning is gaining political favor, but stands to create major flight delays; however, the time that full-body scans add to the process could be alleviated if they replace other parts of the screening process, such as the requirement for people to take off their shoes and jackets for separate scrutiny.
If body-scanning systems are adopted worldwide, privacy issues loom. In Germany, for example, some camps are opposed to such use, although others say that as long as sensitive body parts are not displayed, they would support a shift to the technology. The issue of body-scanning has created quite a stir, but we have to give our government and low enforcement agencies the tools to detect dangerous substances. If you had a choice between being patted down and going through a body-scanning system, which would you choose?
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