A1FlyBoy
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WASHINGTON -- Jane Garvey, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, told reporters yesterday she is uncomfortable with new X-ray technology being tested at selected airports that sees through a person's clothing, and she doubts it will be approved except possibly to screen baggage.
The new devices, ordered for testing by the FAA and now being considered by the new Transportation Security Administration, "raises tremendous privacy issues," she said.
Low-emission X-ray technology has been tested at a government technology center in New Jersey and is being tried out on volunteers in several airports, including Orlando, Fla. The technology "undresses" the passenger being screened so security personnel can see if a suspicious object is concealed under clothing. An image of the person's body is displayed on a computer screen, clearly revealing private parts.
Garvey said she is more interested in exploring the use of smart cards that contain personal data such as a photo, fingerprints, face scans or retinal scans. Smart cards would be carried by passengers who travel regularly and would allow them to jump long lines at airport security checkpoints.
The new Transportation Security Agency, only a month old, was spun off from the FAA as a result of Sept. 11 and is part of the Department of Transportation. It has gotten off to a rocky start.
Last week, the agency announced, after receiving thousands of complaints of "inappropriate touching," that screeners would frisk passengers only of the same sex. The Association of Flight Attendants has said its female members were being inappropriately searched by male screeners.
The new agency is still woefully short of $1 million explosive-detection machines to screen baggage. It has about 160 in place but needs 2,000 by the end of the year. The machines also break down frequently and often register false alarms when they detect sand or dense substances such as peanut butter.
Garvey opposes pilots carrying guns, as does Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, but she expects the FAA will be asked to decide whether pilots and flight attendants can carry stun guns.
The new devices, ordered for testing by the FAA and now being considered by the new Transportation Security Administration, "raises tremendous privacy issues," she said.
Low-emission X-ray technology has been tested at a government technology center in New Jersey and is being tried out on volunteers in several airports, including Orlando, Fla. The technology "undresses" the passenger being screened so security personnel can see if a suspicious object is concealed under clothing. An image of the person's body is displayed on a computer screen, clearly revealing private parts.
Garvey said she is more interested in exploring the use of smart cards that contain personal data such as a photo, fingerprints, face scans or retinal scans. Smart cards would be carried by passengers who travel regularly and would allow them to jump long lines at airport security checkpoints.
The new Transportation Security Agency, only a month old, was spun off from the FAA as a result of Sept. 11 and is part of the Department of Transportation. It has gotten off to a rocky start.
Last week, the agency announced, after receiving thousands of complaints of "inappropriate touching," that screeners would frisk passengers only of the same sex. The Association of Flight Attendants has said its female members were being inappropriately searched by male screeners.
The new agency is still woefully short of $1 million explosive-detection machines to screen baggage. It has about 160 in place but needs 2,000 by the end of the year. The machines also break down frequently and often register false alarms when they detect sand or dense substances such as peanut butter.
Garvey opposes pilots carrying guns, as does Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, but she expects the FAA will be asked to decide whether pilots and flight attendants can carry stun guns.