Good News — TSA Screeners Can’t See You Naked Anymore
The controversial full-body scanners that the Transportation Security Administration has been using in airports to detect illegal objects being hidden by passengers will be removed from all airports.
After travelers complained (quite loudly), TSA set a deadline for the scanners' maker, OSI Systems, to create software that would make the images of passengers less revealing. OSI failed to meet that deadline, and their contract with TSA was terminated.
Privacy advocates, and even some members of Congress, had equated the scans to strip searches. They were particularly upset that children were subject to these procedures.
TSA will replace the scanners with products from the companies L-3, Smiths Group and American Science & Engineering Inc. for new body-image scanners. Their software is all much more privacy-minded. The old OSI scanners will be moved to certain federal buildings, meaning that they will still be used, just not on people who merely want to fly somewhere without being technologically disrobed against their will.