New TSA procedures stir controversy
Passengers will notice a change in airport security while traveling this holiday season as a result of the new scans and pat-downs
Joce DeWitt
Issue date: 12/2/10 Section: News
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The Fourth Amendment, by definition, prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.
Those rights may be at risk this holiday season as many students plan to fly home for the break under the new security requirements of the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA has now put into full effect the advanced safety and technology measures that have become extremely controversial for American and international travelers alike.
The first development is the state-of-the-art full-body scan, officially known as advanced imaging technology, which can "detect a wide range of threats to transportation security in a matter of seconds," according to the TSA website. There are currently 68 airports that are using the new machinery.
AIT uses two types of imaging technology: millimeter wave and backscatter. These tools allow the faces of the passengers to be blurred out and algorithm-imposed on a screen that is reviewed by an officer in a different room, who then communicates via wireless headset to another officer working directly with the passenger.
Because naked bodies, not clothes or underwear, are what appear on the screens, many travelers are uneasy about the process.
Should a passenger not desire to go through with the full-body scans, he or she has the option to undergo a full-body pat-down.
Though there have always been security pat-downs to prevent the smuggling of dangerous weapons, the new pat-downs are much more intensive as officers are required to search private body parts that were skipped in the past.
Passengers have the right to request pat-downs be conducted in a private room by a same-gender officer and witnessed by a person of their choice.
But do the new measures go beyond what is necessary for the good of national security?
In a Nov. 28 article in the Washington Post, George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen argued that they do.
"TSA is invasive, annoying and unconstitutional," wrote Rosen.
Those rights may be at risk this holiday season as many students plan to fly home for the break under the new security requirements of the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA has now put into full effect the advanced safety and technology measures that have become extremely controversial for American and international travelers alike.
The first development is the state-of-the-art full-body scan, officially known as advanced imaging technology, which can "detect a wide range of threats to transportation security in a matter of seconds," according to the TSA website. There are currently 68 airports that are using the new machinery.
AIT uses two types of imaging technology: millimeter wave and backscatter. These tools allow the faces of the passengers to be blurred out and algorithm-imposed on a screen that is reviewed by an officer in a different room, who then communicates via wireless headset to another officer working directly with the passenger.
Because naked bodies, not clothes or underwear, are what appear on the screens, many travelers are uneasy about the process.
Should a passenger not desire to go through with the full-body scans, he or she has the option to undergo a full-body pat-down.
Though there have always been security pat-downs to prevent the smuggling of dangerous weapons, the new pat-downs are much more intensive as officers are required to search private body parts that were skipped in the past.
Passengers have the right to request pat-downs be conducted in a private room by a same-gender officer and witnessed by a person of their choice.
But do the new measures go beyond what is necessary for the good of national security?
In a Nov. 28 article in the Washington Post, George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen argued that they do.
"TSA is invasive, annoying and unconstitutional," wrote Rosen.
He also described a recent Washington Post-ABC News Poll that found 32 percent of those who responded objected to the full-body scans and 50 percent were opposed to the pat-downs that are offered as an alternative to the technology.
The debate over AIT is heightened by public worry about AIT causing exposure to hazardous radiation, a danger that TSA said is a myth.
Radiation experts take the side of TSA in this specific controversy, assuring the risk of radioactivity to be extremely small.
Oregon State University junior Zach Kaneshiro, who travels to Hawaii for holidays, thinks more planning is necessary if TSA wants to continue using their security measures without protest.
"I think that using the body scanner first then using pat-downs if appropriate is probably a better plan," Kaneshiro said. "I know they aren't being used fairly. I'm sure the TSA agents are a little racist and only pat down certain people."
Kaneshiro also has concerns about the officials who conduct the checks.
"TSA should be required to do background checks on whoever they hire," Kaneshiro said. "I've heard stories where a TSA worker had been charged with a sex crime against a minor and was still patting people down. I don't think that's right."
According to Rosen, there have been various high-profile acts of civil disobedience in response to the security measures, including National Opt-Out Day when organizers encouraged travelers to refuse the body scans.
Corrine Theile, 31, also practiced her protest rights Saturday in LAX when she stripped down to her bikini in order to avoid both the scan and pat-down. Officials let her through without either.
"I realize they are supposedly doing this for our safety, but you can't tell me that with today's technology of metal detectors, scanners, facial recognition software, drug dogs and security looking for nervous and sweating individuals, that a pat-down is really going to do any more," said Dallas Hicks, a third-year student at OSU who will be flying to Honduras during the break.
The debate over AIT is heightened by public worry about AIT causing exposure to hazardous radiation, a danger that TSA said is a myth.
Radiation experts take the side of TSA in this specific controversy, assuring the risk of radioactivity to be extremely small.
Oregon State University junior Zach Kaneshiro, who travels to Hawaii for holidays, thinks more planning is necessary if TSA wants to continue using their security measures without protest.
"I think that using the body scanner first then using pat-downs if appropriate is probably a better plan," Kaneshiro said. "I know they aren't being used fairly. I'm sure the TSA agents are a little racist and only pat down certain people."
Kaneshiro also has concerns about the officials who conduct the checks.
"TSA should be required to do background checks on whoever they hire," Kaneshiro said. "I've heard stories where a TSA worker had been charged with a sex crime against a minor and was still patting people down. I don't think that's right."
According to Rosen, there have been various high-profile acts of civil disobedience in response to the security measures, including National Opt-Out Day when organizers encouraged travelers to refuse the body scans.
Corrine Theile, 31, also practiced her protest rights Saturday in LAX when she stripped down to her bikini in order to avoid both the scan and pat-down. Officials let her through without either.
"I realize they are supposedly doing this for our safety, but you can't tell me that with today's technology of metal detectors, scanners, facial recognition software, drug dogs and security looking for nervous and sweating individuals, that a pat-down is really going to do any more," said Dallas Hicks, a third-year student at OSU who will be flying to Honduras during the break.
Others are not so skeptical of the steps that TSA is taking in order to ensure national safety, especially after the attempted act of terrorism in Portland Friday.
In a poll by USA Today, 78 percent said they approved of the use of scanners and 84 percent said the machines would help stop terrorists from carrying bombs onto planes.
Junior Tiara Weiner, who will be flying to China for the winter break, thinks the body scans and pat-downs are needed.
"It doesn't bother me as long as the people doing it take it seriously," Weiner said. "It's silly people are getting so worked up about it because it's for their safety."
Weiner was one of many who were frightened by the news of former OSU student Mohamed Osman Mohamud's arrest Friday in downtown Portland after attempting to set off a fake bomb that he believed was real during the annual Christmas tree lighting that attracts thousands. Weiner believes every step against terrorism helps.
"This past weekend with the attempted attack shows you never know where the next place is going to be," Weiner said. "The pat-downs decrease machine error and high-tech machinery increases the chances of catching someone."
As the three-week break for the holidays approaches, it would be beneficial for students to know their preference and their rights before entering the security check line.
Joce Dewitt, staff writer
737-2231, news@dailybarometer.com
In a poll by USA Today, 78 percent said they approved of the use of scanners and 84 percent said the machines would help stop terrorists from carrying bombs onto planes.
Junior Tiara Weiner, who will be flying to China for the winter break, thinks the body scans and pat-downs are needed.
"It doesn't bother me as long as the people doing it take it seriously," Weiner said. "It's silly people are getting so worked up about it because it's for their safety."
Weiner was one of many who were frightened by the news of former OSU student Mohamed Osman Mohamud's arrest Friday in downtown Portland after attempting to set off a fake bomb that he believed was real during the annual Christmas tree lighting that attracts thousands. Weiner believes every step against terrorism helps.
"This past weekend with the attempted attack shows you never know where the next place is going to be," Weiner said. "The pat-downs decrease machine error and high-tech machinery increases the chances of catching someone."
As the three-week break for the holidays approaches, it would be beneficial for students to know their preference and their rights before entering the security check line.
Joce Dewitt, staff writer
737-2231, news@dailybarometer.com
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