Airport scanners that can see the shape and contours of your naked body, have been approved with the blessing of Canada’s privacy czar.
Did you catch that? The person in charge of ensuring the privacy rights of the citizenry is saying it’s okay for some security guard to look at a naked image of a six-year-old girl in the name of counter-terrorism:
Airport scanners that can see through your clothes have received the blessing of Canada’s privacy czar.
Chantal Bernier, the assistant federal privacy commissioner, said Friday that the national air security agency has successfully answered her office’s questions about the machines, which will be used only in limited circumstances.
The system, tested in British Columbia at the Kelowna airport, allows a screening officer to see whether someone is carrying plastic explosives or other dangerous items.
The proposal has stirred controversy because the scanner produces a three-dimensional outline of a person’s naked body.
I propose that for Chantal Bernier to really sell us on this idea, she should get into the scanner and let us publish the composite image of her naked body on the internet. I mean, it’s no big deal because nobody would recognize her anyway. Right? They wouldn’t actually see a split screen image of her.
You see, the way this strip-poker machine works is that a security officer in a separate room would look at your birthday suit, but never see you, the actual traveler. And don’t worry. The image will be deleted the moment the person leaves the screening portal. Trust me.
Ms.Bernier waves aside privacy concerns because the secondary screening choice is either the conventional “cop-a-feel”, or the new virtual strip search which “reduces the sense of invasion”. I suppose when you’re being scrutinized as a potential terrorist, the most reassuring thing to know is that you have a choice of whether you want to be visually violated or physically violated.
The irony I love most, however, is that we’re not the criminals, the terrorists, the villains, yet we’re being asked to stand inside a scanner and hold our arms above our heads and get photographed naked in the name of catching these people.
October 31, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Yay for security theatre!!!
November 1, 2009 at 2:52 am
I like the idea of the scanner.
Reading your rediculous article here, I sense you may have sufficient flab about your body to not like to be scanned. What would it matter to you if someone sees it for a few seconds then discards the image in the name of security.
Image of a six year old is a terrible example of your sick mind. Get a life.
November 1, 2009 at 3:43 am
Reading your rediculous article here, I sense you may have sufficient flab about your body to not like to be scanned.
He doesn’t want strangers seeing him naked. And have a picture of it. For ANY length of time. Uh yeah, I can’t say I blame him.
And flab isn’t the issue here. Its highly doubtful the man would be a rock climber of any sort if he was flabby.
What would it matter to you if someone sees it for a few seconds then discards the image in the name of security.
And how will it be guaranteed that will happen 100% of the time? Because security agencies don’t keep profiles based on the name of “security”, or have EVER abused their privlidge. Riiiiggghhiht.
Image of a six year old is a terrible example of your sick mind. Get a life.
I’m sure that “limited circumstances” would prevent that, but the point is, that its a slippery slope.
November 1, 2009 at 4:06 am
Well if the author of this blog has a sick mind , then I guess the fact that Britain’s Child protection Services and children’s civil rights group Action on Rights for Children (ARCH) insist that these scanners break their child porn laws are just as sick and loopy. Right?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/14/manchester_airport_arch/
Well Pedophiles might will have a brand new source for pictures, it will not take them long to figure out how to get access and store, steal such imagery. Move over priests, teachers, hockey coaches, you are about to have a new job description as competition.
November 1, 2009 at 6:07 am
it just gets worse everyday. when i worked i had to take about four flights a week. it was trouble free. today i will not fly. no one repeat no one is going to pat me down, probe me, xray me or otherwise intrude on my person. people who allow this are idiots.
November 1, 2009 at 7:52 am
Just another example of how the leftist have brought another “Wolf” to our society’s door. The terrorists do what the terrorists do, we all know this. It’s the leftist destructive ideology that has allowed these animals into Canada. Not only have they allowed them in, they’ve encouraged them in their extremist-ism. They’ve done this by weakening our society through the peddling of white guilt. These feral animals see and smell our fear by watching and listening to the lib-left supremacists. This emboldens and infuriates them in the same way a bull reacts to a red cape. Do you think it’s just a coincidence that a city of wall to wall liberals and leftists is also the hometown of the “Toronto 18”?
No, it’s not a coincidence at all. What it truly is, is a natural occurring event.
They know not what they do.
November 1, 2009 at 9:22 am
Sniffer dogs are cheap and work better than scanners, but alas that makes to much sense and dogs offend the real terrorists. The Islamist are not going to like the Burka babes getting scanned ala naked, dogs or naked- dogs or naked. Hum I’m voting dog. The pedophiles are going to love this tecnology, no doubt googling manufactures of said product as I type this. Another fascist policy to curb our civil liberties instead of going after those who want us dead.
November 1, 2009 at 9:59 am
Kill the terrorists and the rest of us won’t have to endure this.
But now that large government bureaucratic empires have been established the whole security system will be extremely difficult to dismantle.
November 1, 2009 at 10:10 am
Norm,
If you can’t imagine the potential ramifications of having six-year-olds screened, then you clearly haven’t thought out your position on this invasive procedure.
So what’s next in your flexible sense of civil liberties? When they want to extract DNA from every traveller, will you speak up then? Or wave it off as you did here?
November 1, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Already at Vancouver, wearing a bra is sufficient to get one patted down all around the chest (if it’s underwire) and then have to turn around and face the crowd who just watched same while security checks the bits that do the bra up.
November 1, 2009 at 12:42 pm
It’s the leftist destructive ideology that has allowed these animals into Canada. Not only have they allowed them in, they’ve encouraged them in their extremist-ism. They’ve done this by weakening our society through the peddling of white guilt. These feral animals see and smell our fear by watching and listening to the lib-left supremacists. This emboldens and infuriates them in the same way a bull reacts to a red cape. Do you think it’s just a coincidence that a city of wall to wall liberals and leftists is also the hometown of the “Toronto 18”?
No, it’s not a coincidence at all. What it truly is, is a natural occurring event.
I don’t want this loony anywhere near me when I’m on a plane. Bring on the full cavity search.
November 1, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Blame Crash
All this new knee jerk security came in because of 911.
Those attacks were carried out in what is probably one of the most right wing and religious democracies in the world. The education and immigration policies in the USA were tough at the time. The security services in the USA fully expected something to happen and then some very nasty folk managed to pull off one of the most audacious and society impacting terrorist mass murders of all time.
They were forewarned, already mindful of the threat of unchecked immigration and a place where the left leaning party is to the right of most conservative parties in other western democracies.
So tell me just how this is the fault of those on the left again?