U.S.| Airport scanners: privacy vs. security
From ABC News: Civil liberties groups and privacy advocates are urging federal officials to slow down the rush to buy more full body airport scanners until there is more proof that the machines would disrupt a future terror attack.
Nineteen airports already have 40 of the machines in use, 150 more are scheduled to be installed this year, and the Transportation Security Administration recently announced it has secured funding for an additional 300.
At the same time, officials in Great Britain and the Netherlands who had been slow to introduce the machines now say passengers on transatlantic flights will be required to pass through them.
Mike German, a former FBI agent who now serves as policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said that while longstanding privacy concerns have not gone away, the real concern should be whether the machines will do anything to improve the safety of the traveling public.
“The question should be not whether it’s worth the privacy invasion, but whether it’s worth investing in technology that the terrorists are already showing can be defeated,” German told ABC News. “There is no reason to sacrifice our liberty or privacy if there is no security gain.” [...]
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