TSA Security Body Scanners:
Safety vs. Ethics
Michelle Hanan
IT 103 Sec. 007

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Introduction

Body Scanner: What is it?

Potential benefits and risks

Legal and Ethical Issues

Security Concerns

Conclusion

Sources

One major legal and ethical issue is the argument that body scanners have breached child pornography laws and have been said to generate indecent pictures of minors and adults alike. Some officials have said that the scanner is like a "virtual strip search" because the images produced are so graphic (Travis,2010). Because of this, some airports in the U.S and in other countries, such as Great Britain where scanners are also used, have been forced to exempt children under the age 18. This is because they could be faced with committing offenses having to do with child pornography. In an airport in Manchester, there was a 12-month trial period where the scanners were tested to see just how invasive the images were. During this 12- month period, several graphic images were generated including some that showed breast enlargements, parts of a person's genitalia and other private images (Travis,2010). Another main concern is the issue of privacy and how the scanner might violate our amendment rights to privacy and our fourth amendment rights to unreasonable search and seizure. Many privacy campaigners argue that the scanners do just this, they may assist in protecting us, but it is done so in a very intrusive way that many people feel invades their privacy (Klitou,2008).