Full body scanner

A full body scanner is a device. These devices are used to show if a person is carrying objects under their clothes. They are commonly used at the border control at airports, to detect weapons and explosives. Unlike a simple metal detector, a full body scanner uses high-frequency radiation, such as X-rays.

Main technologies

At least 3 technologies are known to have been used in these devices,

• Millimeter wave scanners
• X-ray-based scanners
• Infra-red thermal conductivity scanners

Criticism

The use of such scanners has also been criticized, for different reasons:

• Depending on the technology used, there may be health risks associated with their use. This is the case for those models that use X-rays. As there is little data, the exact extent of these health risks is unclear.
• A full body scanner will take an images of naked people, even if they are not shown to those operating the machines. Their use is therefore equivalent to a strip search. If they are used without a probable suspicion, this procedure violates basic human rights.
• Full-body scanning allows screeners to see the surface of the skin under clothing. Prosthetics including breast prostheses and prosthetic testicles may require a potentially embarrassing physical inspection once detected. The scanners can also detect other medical equipment normally hidden, such as colostomy bags and catheters. The transgender community also has privacy concerns that body scanners could lead to their harassment.
• Using these scanners to scan children may be against British law of 1978. These laws make it illegal to make indecent pictures of children. The machines create images of virtual strip searches on persons under the age of 18 which may violate child pornography laws. In the UK, the scanners may be breaking the Protection of Children Act of 1978 by creating images or pseudo-images of nude children.
• As the full body scanner takes an image of the skin of the people it scans, it violates these laws.
• Image scanners store the images they take. Some of them have settings that allow to retrieve the original images, and to save them to an USB drive.

Gallery

• 
  Image of a woman, produced by a full body scanner. The people operating the scanner will not see this image. The areas that are darker show items the woman is carrying.
• 
  A full body scanner will show the objects using a pictogram.
• 
  If no objects are found, the scanner does not show the pictogram.

References