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TSA's whole-body imaging system scans down to underwear
For just over a month, the Transportation Security Administration's Whole-Body Imaging system has been screening hundreds of people a day.
The WBI machine can produce images that reveal what's under people's clothing. During a demonstration, a TSA volunteer stepped into a machine's booth. In a separate room, closed off from any ability to see beyond the walls, a TSA agent brought up the volunteer's image.
On the screen was the woman's body right down to the bra and underwear. The face is blurred to prevent any identification of the person in the machine. The entire time a person would have to spend in the booth is between three to four seconds. When the process is finished, the images are erased and can not be retrieved, copied or transmitted, says the TSA.
"We have taken so many precautions because we know there is a genuine concern about privacy. We respect that privacy and from the procedures we've implemented, it's impossible for a person to be identified by the image produced on the screen," said Denver International Airport's Federal Security Director David Bassett.
The process is random. Passengers moving through a metal detector will either be directed to the WBI or regular screening. If a person declines the WBI they will have to be patted down. Bassett says a majority of people offered the WBI opt for it.
"Rather than having to go through a pat down which is more personal I think, people tend to choose the impersonal route in that regard," said Bassett.
The ultimate goal is to detect drugs, weapons and other potential threats a person may carry on their body. On the day 9NEWS visited with the TSA, a man scanned in the WBI was caught with three bags of marijuana. Bassett says new techniques, and in this case technology, has allowed TSA to evolve since its inception following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"Compared to where we were to where we are today and where we're going, I think we're only starting to scratch the surface from a technological perspective," said Bassett.
Aimee Acklen, a college student in Boulder, voiced concerns about the WBI. Acklen says there seems to be adequate procedures in place that already serve the same end. She says some "parts" should remain private.
"I sort of feel like that is invading people's privacy. That's why we wear clothes because we don't want certain things to be seen by everyone," said Acklen.
Denver is one of eight airports currently using the WBI. Boston's Logan International Airport is planning to bring in one of the machines later this summer.
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