SIW Blogs

Last few times I've had to fly, I've mentioned to my fellow travelers as we undressed in the security checkpoint: "why don't we all just fly naked?" Don't get me wrong. I believe in security and will do anything I can to help avert a terrorist act or the works of a malcontent or wrong-doer.

So now it seems we are nearly flying naked. O'Hare International Airport will soon unveil new security scanners that are in essense a full body scan. Think Superman and his X-ray vision. The image generated shows the skeletal outline of the body--so there's nothing that can be missed or hidden, even in the most unobvious body cavity parts.

The system, manufactured by L3 and called ProVision, is a "virtual strip search" according to the July 20 edition of The Chicago Tribune. It uses millimeter wave technology and antennas which rotate around the person, emitting beams of radio frequency energy toward the body. These millimeter waves bounce off the body and back to the receivers which record the waves that are used to construct 3D images. Screeners, located in a remote location, thank God, analyze the images for weapons or contraband. The faces on the images are blurred and those images are then deleted. 

 The images show breasts and butts and other anatomical features to identify possible hidden objects. The American Civil Liberties Union is already hooting and hollering. (BTW, travelers can opt out of the scanner for a good old fashioned hand-frisk.) The alternative--fly without clothing.