Elliott writes: "The Transportation Security Administration's new rules for
screening passengers with its controversial full-body scanners - which were
quietly changed just before the busy holiday travel season - represent a
significant policy reversal that could affect your next flight."
Getting checked by the TSA's advanced-imaging technology used to be entirely
optional. But on a Friday in late December, the TSA revised its rules,
saying an 'opt out' is no longer an option for certain passengers. (photo:
Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
What the TSA's New Body-Scanner Rules Mean for You
By Christopher Elliott, The Washington Post
03 December 16
The Transportation Security Administration's new rules for screening
passengers with its controversial full-body scanners - which were quietly
changed just before the busy holiday travel season - represent a significant
policy reversal that could affect your next flight.
Getting checked by the TSA's advanced-imaging technology used to be entirely
optional, allowing those who refused a scan to be subjected to a pat-down.
In fact, many observers thought the agency installed the 740 body scanners
in 160 airports with an understanding that no one would be forced to use
them, ever.
But on a Friday in late December, the TSA revised its rules, saying an "opt
out" is no longer an option for certain passengers. (The full document can
be found on the Department of Homeland Security's website.) The decision
drew mixed reaction from experts and raised concerns from passengers. The
biggest: Will I get pushed through one of these scanners before I board my
next flight?
"Most people will be able to opt out," says Bruce Anderson, a TSA spokesman.
"Some passengers will be required to undergo advanced-imaging screening if
their boarding pass indicates that they have been selected for enhanced
screening, in accordance with TSA regulations, prior to their arrival at the
security checkpoint. This will occur in a very limited number of
circumstances."
To some, the change appeared to be timed to ensure a muted public response.
It escaped the traveling public's notice until almost a week later, which
happened to be Christmas Eve. Anderson says the TSA wasn't waiting for a
slow news day. "The revision to this policy was designed to provide TSA with
the flexibility necessary to address immediate security concerns," he says.
Either way, barring a major outcry, the new opt-out rules are likely to
stick. But it's still too early to tell how the TSA plans to implement its
new protocol or how the vague guidelines could affect your spring break or
summer flights. That, say TSA observers, is cause for concern.
Passenger advocates object to the full-body scanners on many levels. The
pricey machines, they say, were deployed without giving the public a chance
to comment, a process required by federal law. They also say the devices
violate the Fourth Amendment right to protection from unreasonable searches
and seizures. Also, the scanners have not been adequately tested and may
present health risks, some claim.
Critics say the technology is easily foiled and ultimately ineffective at
identifying threats, citing an audit in which the TSA failed to catch
weapons 67 of 70 times. To date, the scanners have not thwarted a single
attempted terrorist attack, these agency-watchers correctly point out.
What's more, the agency has broken a promise it made to passengers and
legislators when it began installing the scanners in 2009.
"The TSA is going back on its word," says Fred Cate, a law professor at
Indiana University and prominent TSA-watcher. "The scanners were sold to
Congress and the public on the promise that they were optional, but for at
least some people, that is no longer the case."
Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information
Center, which filed the original lawsuit to suspend deployment of the
devices, says the new policy represents an important reversal. In previous
court filings, the agency offered written assurance that the scanners were
optional. Based on the agency's statements, a federal appeals court affirmed
the legality of using the full-body scanners as long as fliers were given a
choice.
"The TSA lacks the legal authority to compel travelers to go through the
body scanners," Rotenberg says.
Despite the concerns, the new scanning rules may improve security, says
Stephen Lloyd, a former safety director for the Federal Aviation
Administration who now runs an aerospace consulting firm in the Washington
region. "This recent change was implemented, I'm sure, based on security
threat assessments and the need to use scanners when security conditions
dictate, to protect the public," he says.
Anthony Roman, a counterterrorism expert in Lynbrook, N.Y., concurs. "I
believe it is one of the best initiatives taken by TSA in recent memory,"
Roman says. "Surprise is the key element of this initiative. It creates a
randomness and unpredictability regarding who will be scanned and who will
not be scanned." That randomness, for fliers screened in the future, can
prevent a terrorist attack, he adds.
Some fliers are skeptical and upset about the change. Karen Pliskin, an
anthropologist from Oakland, Calif., opts out of the scanners and plans to
continue doing so. She objects to the advanced-imaging technology for
several reasons, chief among them her fear that they may emit harmful
radiation.
"I had a small skin cancer removed, and I don't do anything that could
potentially exacerbate a recurrence," she says. "No matter that the TSA says
that their scanners are foolproof, only a fool would say that something is
foolproof."
Anderson says they are safe: "The radio-frequency emissions from these
systems are well below the safety limits established by national health and
safety standards for the general public."
Stephen Costanzo, who runs an education company in St. Petersburg, Fla.,
says he's not bothered by the new rules. He interprets the new guidelines to
mean that only passengers with screening anomalies will have to use the
scanner. "In other words, when a person, for whatever reason, has already
failed multiple checks, a full-body scan can be required in order to
identify with more accuracy whether that traveler poses a potential security
threat," he says.
"Clearly, there is still room for abuse," he adds. "But there always has
been, and these new guidelines do not change that."
For now, the TSA's new rules mean you might not be able to say "no" to its
full-body scanners on your next flight. If you do, you won't be allowed into
the boarding area. (Time is running out for the TSA; its scanners are
expected to start reaching the end of their useful life in two years, and
it's unlikely they'll be replaced.) Down the road, it's unclear whether the
TSA's rules will change yet again, perhaps mandating that an opt out is no
longer an option at all.
But we know when such a policy change is likely to be announced. Look for it
on a Friday just before the next major travel holiday.
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Getting checked by the TSA's advanced-imaging technology used to be entirely
optional. But on a Friday in late December, the TSA revised its rules,
saying an 'opt out' is no longer an option for certain passengers. (photo:
Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/what-the-tsas-new-body-scann
er-rules-mean-for-you/2015/12/30/f739e922-a4f5-11e5-9c4e-be37f66848bb_story.
htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/what-the-tsas-new-body-s
canner-rules-mean-for-you/2015/12/30/f739e922-a4f5-11e5-9c4e-be37f66848bb_st
ory.html
What the TSA's New Body-Scanner Rules Mean for You
By Christopher Elliott, The Washington Post
03 December 16
he Transportation Security Administration's new rules for screening
passengers with its controversial full-body scanners - which were quietly
changed just before the busy holiday travel season - represent a significant
policy reversal that could affect your next flight.
Getting checked by the TSA's advanced-imaging technology used to be entirely
optional, allowing those who refused a scan to be subjected to a pat-down.
In fact, many observers thought the agency installed the 740 body scanners
in 160 airports with an understanding that no one would be forced to use
them, ever.
But on a Friday in late December, the TSA revised its rules, saying an "opt
out" is no longer an option for certain passengers. (The full document can
be found on the Department of Homeland Security's website.) The decision
drew mixed reaction from experts and raised concerns from passengers. The
biggest: Will I get pushed through one of these scanners before I board my
next flight?
"Most people will be able to opt out," says Bruce Anderson, a TSA spokesman.
"Some passengers will be required to undergo advanced-imaging screening if
their boarding pass indicates that they have been selected for enhanced
screening, in accordance with TSA regulations, prior to their arrival at the
security checkpoint. This will occur in a very limited number of
circumstances."
To some, the change appeared to be timed to ensure a muted public response.
It escaped the traveling public's notice until almost a week later, which
happened to be Christmas Eve. Anderson says the TSA wasn't waiting for a
slow news day. "The revision to this policy was designed to provide TSA with
the flexibility necessary to address immediate security concerns," he says.
Either way, barring a major outcry, the new opt-out rules are likely to
stick. But it's still too early to tell how the TSA plans to implement its
new protocol or how the vague guidelines could affect your spring break or
summer flights. That, say TSA observers, is cause for concern.
Passenger advocates object to the full-body scanners on many levels. The
pricey machines, they say, were deployed without giving the public a chance
to comment, a process required by federal law. They also say the devices
violate the Fourth Amendment right to protection from unreasonable searches
and seizures. Also, the scanners have not been adequately tested and may
present health risks, some claim.
Critics say the technology is easily foiled and ultimately ineffective at
identifying threats, citing an audit in which the TSA failed to catch
weapons 67 of 70 times. To date, the scanners have not thwarted a single
attempted terrorist attack, these agency-watchers correctly point out.
What's more, the agency has broken a promise it made to passengers and
legislators when it began installing the scanners in 2009.
"The TSA is going back on its word," says Fred Cate, a law professor at
Indiana University and prominent TSA-watcher. "The scanners were sold to
Congress and the public on the promise that they were optional, but for at
least some people, that is no longer the case."
Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information
Center, which filed the original lawsuit to suspend deployment of the
devices, says the new policy represents an important reversal. In previous
court filings, the agency offered written assurance that the scanners were
optional. Based on the agency's statements, a federal appeals court affirmed
the legality of using the full-body scanners as long as fliers were given a
choice.
"The TSA lacks the legal authority to compel travelers to go through the
body scanners," Rotenberg says.
Despite the concerns, the new scanning rules may improve security, says
Stephen Lloyd, a former safety director for the Federal Aviation
Administration who now runs an aerospace consulting firm in the Washington
region. "This recent change was implemented, I'm sure, based on security
threat assessments and the need to use scanners when security conditions
dictate, to protect the public," he says.
Anthony Roman, a counterterrorism expert in Lynbrook, N.Y., concurs. "I
believe it is one of the best initiatives taken by TSA in recent memory,"
Roman says. "Surprise is the key element of this initiative. It creates a
randomness and unpredictability regarding who will be scanned and who will
not be scanned." That randomness, for fliers screened in the future, can
prevent a terrorist attack, he adds.
Some fliers are skeptical and upset about the change. Karen Pliskin, an
anthropologist from Oakland, Calif., opts out of the scanners and plans to
continue doing so. She objects to the advanced-imaging technology for
several reasons, chief among them her fear that they may emit harmful
radiation.
"I had a small skin cancer removed, and I don't do anything that could
potentially exacerbate a recurrence," she says. "No matter that the TSA says
that their scanners are foolproof, only a fool would say that something is
foolproof."
Anderson says they are safe: "The radio-frequency emissions from these
systems are well below the safety limits established by national health and
safety standards for the general public."
Stephen Costanzo, who runs an education company in St. Petersburg, Fla.,
says he's not bothered by the new rules. He interprets the new guidelines to
mean that only passengers with screening anomalies will have to use the
scanner. "In other words, when a person, for whatever reason, has already
failed multiple checks, a full-body scan can be required in order to
identify with more accuracy whether that traveler poses a potential security
threat," he says.
"Clearly, there is still room for abuse," he adds. "But there always has
been, and these new guidelines do not change that."
For now, the TSA's new rules mean you might not be able to say "no" to its
full-body scanners on your next flight. If you do, you won't be allowed into
the boarding area. (Time is running out for the TSA; its scanners are
expected to start reaching the end of their useful life in two years, and
it's unlikely they'll be replaced.) Down the road, it's unclear whether the
TSA's rules will change yet again, perhaps mandating that an opt out is no
longer an option at all.
But we know when such a policy change is likely to be announced. Look for it
on a Friday just before the next major travel holiday.
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http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
