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Chaffetz wants ban on airport whole body imaging


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Updated: 4/22/2009 4:20 pm | Published: 4/22/2009 4:00 pm
Full body scanner at SLC International Airport (ABC 4 News)
Full body scanner at SLC International Airport (ABC 4 News)
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz Wednesday introduced legislation that would ban whole-body imaging scanners at the airport. 

Those security scanners are being tested at six airports across the country, including at Salt Lake International Airport. 

Chaffetz says the images are extremely detailed, clearly showing a person's gender.  He also says passengers expect privacy under their clothing and shouldn't be required to display personal parts of their bodies before boarding an airplane. 

Representative Chaffetz says "Nobody needs to see my wife and kids naked to secure an airplane".  Chaffetz also has an issue with the cost of the scanners, they are $170,000 a piece.  He says originally they were meant for secondary screening devices. 

But now, TSA has stated the plan is now for all passengers to go through them instead of the walk-through metal detectors.

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The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of ABC4

GMetz - 5/19/2009 12:29 AM
In the last two weeks I was twice asked to go through this machine at the Richmond (VA) airport. Neither time did I set off the metal detector prior to being told to go into this machine. I was furious both times but the second time I let the person watching me know I was very angry. It was an invasion of my privacy for no good reason. I go out of my way to not wear metal jewelry or an underwire bra when I fly. And later, passing through Chicago, they actually brought a cart to the gate area and did pat-downs as people lined up with boarding passes in hand. This is getting out of hand. How many terrorists have they caught with these machines or at the gates after these same passengers have already gone through a metal detector and in some cases at full body scan? The airlines cry poverty yet are spending money on these expensive machines and people to man them or to pat us down. Not to mention that I still feel humiliated and angry over having to go into that machine. Add my voice to those who are angry!

arc 1 - 4/22/2009 5:43 PM
I am Ok with a metal detector, wand, and bomb sniffing dog or a machine that does the same thing. The whole body imaging is cool technology, but lets use it somewhere else, and not to invade people's privacy.
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