Naked Body Scan Images Never Saved, TSA Says

Early Tuesday, 100 images of full body scans taken in a Florida courthouse by U.S. Marshalls were leaked online and sparked rumors that the Transportation Safety Administration would also be saving (and therefore potentially leaking) naked images of random passengers from airport screening lines across the country.

Not true, says a TSA spokesman.

"The (body image scanning) technology is sent to the airports without the ability to save, transmit or print the images," said Greg Soule, TSA spokesman, in an interview with CBSNews.com. "At airports, the images are examined by a security officer in a remote location, and, once the image is cleared, they're deleted."

The confusion over whether the TSA will be saving basically naked body images taken in airport security lines is based on the fact that some other police agencies -- like the U.S. Marshalls for example -- have saved body scan images. Soule insists, however, that the TSA does not, nor will they ever, do so.

Even in the case of a TSA agent discovering weapons or other hazardous material on a passenger through the body scan, the image is still not saved for use as evidence, Soule said.

"The anomaly on the passenger would be resolved at the checkpoint with the security officer who is working with the passenger," Soule said.

The rumor has gained legs based on an emergency injunction filed against TSA by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a consumer rights group. In the injunction, EPIC claims to have "obtained evidence that the devices are designed to store and record images."

Soule says EPIC makes that claim because the imaging machines used in the TSA Atlantic City testing lab are designed to store images for training purposes, but that those are the only machines that can do so.

Enhanced screening techniques in airports have come under increased public scrutiny. Reports of potential health hazards from the X-Ray technology in some of the scanners have surfaced. John Tyner has become a mini-celebrity for telling a TSA agent he better not touch his "junk" during a pat-down after refusing to go through the body scanner.

Even famed pilot Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who landed a U.S. Airways flight on the Hudson River last year, told CNN's American Morning he opposes the new full-body scanners for flight personnel due to their radiation risk.

The increased security at airports comes in part as a response to the attempted Christmas Day bombings last year, as well as a massive infusion of stimulus money to the TSA. Despite the public uproar, 81 percent of respondents in a recent CBS News poll say they are in favor of full-body X-rays.

There are currently more than 385 imaging technology units at 68 airports, Soule said. TSA hopes to have 500 in the field by the end of this year and more than 1000 in the field by the end of next year.

If an airport has the body scanners and the time, they are the primary method of screening passengers. Passengers end up in front of body scanners randomly, depending on what line they are in, Soule said. If a passenger refuses a body scan, they are offered an "enhanced pat-down." If a passenger refuses both, they are not allowed to pass through security, Soule said.

[nvoong]

Just out of curiousity, can those scanners see my breast implants?

[JRC_903]

While the actual numbers are coming down-- about 40000 Americans lose their lives on the nation's highways each year. That amounts to about 100 per day-- or about 1 death in 10000--assuming that all 300 million people drive their cars. In the absence of any external threat--- airplanes are extremely safe compared the highway travel. Some years--there are zero fatalities-- but if the yearly number of deaths due to airplane crashes is about 300, then odds become about 1 death in 1 million--again if all 300 million are counted. But what if several airliners are brought down my terrorist in a given year. Compared with automobiles, airline travel would still be at least 10-20 times safer. So-- really if this is about saving lives.. why not do something about those "killer" automobiles. Or better yet--- why not take a common sense approach to stopping terrorists and accept the fact that some people will not make it. As one poster said--"everyone has to die sometime" Now--if doing these things did not cost billions of dollars and cause people to forgo their civil rights----then I would say go for it.. But if we let these bad people dictate to us what scares us--we are headed toward a place--- that only the terrorists could appreciate. And they will.

[JRC_903]

The head of the TSA enforcement division states with some degree of certainly that body images will NEVER EVER be saved and/or disseminated. And, in so far as his officers putting their hands inside children's clothes--- he must also assure us that NO CHILD PREDATOR type will ever be employed by TSA--- or ever had been? BUT just in case it does happen--- what does he plan on saying THEN? And, what does he recommend that parents tell their children about knowing the difference between a GOOD TOUCH and a BAD touch. Does he advise them to tell them it's ok--- as long as the person doing the TOUCHING is wearing a uniform of some sort? If they (TSA) continue to ramp things up every time a terrorist thinks of a new place to hide things--- then can this man possibly see where this will be headed to NEXT.

[ExposeNWO]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and decided that I need to say it as often and to as many people as possible.

I am opposed to the use of WBI and physical searches for primary screening. I support, wholeheartedly, the abolition of both of these practices immediately. I believe the TSA should be disbanded and airport security should be returned to the private sector as it was on Sept 9, 2001.

I understand fully that this means some day my ticket might get punched by a terrorist on an airplane with some kind of weapon, explosive or incendiary device. I accept this risk because it is the price of living in a free society, and I do it gladly.

Some day, I'm going to die. That is an inescapable fact. The only things I don't know right now are how and when it will happen. If it comes to pass that I am the average, regular civilian merely going about my daily life of earning a living or taking a vacation when it happens, I will pay the price gladly. I have considered the argument that if it was one of my loved ones who died on 9/11, I would feel differently. This is exactly the kind of attitude that is contrary to the foundations of the United States.

I want it to be known here and now that I choose to live free. I will die the same way. I hope that if I die in a terrorist attack, everyone who loves me will remember this and not try to say that I'd be alive 'If only'. That is not the kind of life I want to live. If the price of your kids being free to move about without being photographed naked and having their genitals touched by government agents is my blood, then I will pay it gladly.

If I die in a terrorist attack, let this be my epitaph:

I knew the risks, I bought the ticket, and I paid the price of admission. I did it willingly, gladly, and without regret. I would do it again. I was free.

[JRC_903]

That's right.. TSA will never save these images. They also will never EVER allow people with criminal records to do the pat downs of adults and/or small children. You have their WORD on that!!!!!!!!!!

[jsf14]

I expect one reason for the pat downs is to convince travelers they'd rather be scanned.

[grezzer22]

What our government is trying desperately to avoid saying is that we are attempting to thwart religious terrorism in the skies, and Islam is at the root of terrorism in domestic and international travel. What we should be doing is forming an expedited security line where the passengers who renounce Islam and the prophet Mohammed are allowed to pass without additional scrutiny. If we've learned anything (and for my part, I feel we have not) from September 11th it is that belief in untestable, unprovable propositions (i.e. doing the will of an unseen deity) will motivate religious terrorism.

[peiposveb]

TSA is just passing the blame. They are the ones in charge of the body scanners and so they are not going to make sure that some third party like the US Marshal delete these photos? Furthermore, the US Marshals lets a blog like Gizmodo get the images through the Freedom of Information Act? TSA policy says that these images are not allowed to be saved but somebody saved them. TSA need to enforce their own rules first before forcing everyone else to follow theirs. How can we trust them after this? Does the TSA even have punishments for their facilities and agents for doing kind of stuff? There was a poll asking this question, http://my-take.com/poll/Should-the-TSA-punish-the-facility-or-agent-that-allowed-the-leak-to-happen At least the TSA should own up all their problem.

[SavvyTravel]

This has got to stop. Innocent travelers in a "free" society should not be forced into the "choice" of a sexual assault or naked scan in order to board an airplane.

These scanners came about because ex-Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's consulting firm is getting paid big bucks to promote them with federal contracts. This is about money, not security - these machines couldn't detect a bomb hidden in a body cavity, for example.

This is the time to take a stand. Talk to other fliers and help us pass out the literature we've developed for this! http://www.savvytravel.net/2010/11/taking-on-the-tsa/

[SoCal_Gridlock]

When are we as a country going to quit being so worried about political correctness? Profiling is working well on Israli airliners. The terrorists are winning and we are allowing them to.