Airport scanners: Will you join National Opt-Out Day?Complaints about full-body scans and pat-downs at the airport are getting louder. Fliers are now faced with the question: Would you rather have your naked body stared at or your entire body groped?
• Nov. 4 The TSA changed their pat-down procedures nationwide to a grabbier, front-of-the-hand method. The new tactic includes an agent running his or her hand along the inside of your leg. Any passenger who refuses to go through a body scanner, or so-called "nude-o-scope," must receive a pat-down. But you may ask for it to be done out of public view and with a same-gender agent.
• Nov. 1 Two of the largest pilot unions urged their members to refuse to walk through full-body scans when they go to work. Their fear? "additional radiation exposure"—despite government assurances on the latter.
• Nov. 12 A three-year old boy was patted down by a TSA agent, and it was caught on film. The boy thought it was a game, so no tears were shed. But many people were outraged, and an old video of a 3-year old girl bawling during a TSA pat-down resurfaced online.
• Today, Nov. 17 TSA changes policy: No more "enhanced pat-downs for children.
• Today TSA chief John Pistole testified before Congress, insisting that the technology is not only safe, it is vital to aviation security and a critical measure to thwart potential terrorist attacks. He added that the TSA uses rigorous privacy safeguards with its the full-body scanners. For instance, the officer viewing the naked scans never interacts with passengers, and the officer helping passengers never sees the scans.
• Upcoming next week An online group is drumming up interest in making next Wednesday, Nov. 24, National Opt-Out Day to protest the use of body scan devices. If popular, the protest could slow down airport traffic on the day before Thanksgiving—the busiest day of the year. optoutday.com and flywithdignity.org.
2 comments:
Come on DV.
You are the Helelian Headfake Buster upper.
Once the main stream media jump on the complaint bandwagon, I knew that we are being set up.
Say it with me Bra: Problem,
reaction,
Solution:
http://revolutionradio.org/?p=8324
The “Total Control Society” Is Here: Iris Scanners
“In the future, whether it’s entering your home, opening your car, entering your workspace, getting a pharmacy prescription refilled, or having your medical records pulled up, everything will come off that unique key that is your iris. Every person, place, and thing on this planet will be connected [to the iris system] within the next 10 years.”– Jeff Carter, CDO of Global Rainmakers
The U.S. government and its corporate allies are looking out for you–literally–with surveillance tools intended to identify you, track your whereabouts, monitor your activities and allow or restrict your access to people, places or things deemed suitable by the government. This is all the more true as another invasive technology, the iris scanner, is about to be unleashed on the American people.
To implement the system, the city is creating a database of irises. Criminals will automatically be enrolled, their irises scanned once convicted. Law-abiding citizens will have the option to opt-in.
However, as Fast Company points out, soon no one will be able to opt out:
When these residents catch a train or bus, or take out money from an ATM, they will scan their irises, rather than swiping a metro or bank card. Police officers will monitor these scans and track the movements of watch-listed individuals. “Fraud, which is a $50 billion problem, will be completely eradicated,” says Carter. Not even the “dead eyeballs” seen in Minority Report could trick the system, he says. “If you’ve been convicted of a crime, in essence, this will act as a digital scarlet letter. If you’re a known shoplifter, for example, you won’t be able to go into a store without being flagged. For others, boarding a plane will be impossible.”
In fact, iris scanning technology is already being implemented in the U.S. For example, the Department of Homeland Security ran a two-week test of the iris scanners at a Border Patrol station in McAllen, Texas, in October 2010. That same month, in Boone County, Missouri, the sheriff’s office unveiled an Iris Biometric station purchased with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Unknown by most, the technology is reportedly already being used by law enforcement in 40 states throughout the country.
What would you do if it was your daughter?
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