The "P" Word? You Know, Privacy & Psecurity.

From Slashdot and the whatcha-got-on-under-all-that dept: “Not content to simply follow the ‘anything to protect American lives’ mantra, freshman Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has introduced a bill to prohibit mandatory full body scans at airports. Chaffetz states, ‘The images offer a disturbingly accurate view of a person’s body underneath clothing … Americans should not be required to expose their bodies in this manner in order to fly.’

Sounds like the dreaded and shopworn “monster under the bed” is back.  Again.

So let’s try another little thought experiment: It could be amusing, if not enlightening, to propose that *every single one* of the TSA’s employees (sorry, no excuses) be body scanned by these devices, and then have those images made available online, if not simply displayed at random in public places like, say, an airport.  Just to see how they would react.

I’d bet good money that a significant portion of them would have a problem with that, if not stage an outright revolt against their employer for using a technology on them that’s as invasive as this is.

Perhaps then they might get a bit of insight as to why some of us resent having to “drop trouser” in a public place.  And to what end would we travelers be obligated to participate in this dehumanizing security farce?  Ah yes, that most wiley and elusive “monster under the bed”.

I feel better already knowing that the TSA’s on the case.

Let the TSA what you think signing the Privacy Coalition’s Stop Whole Body Imaging petition.