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Larry in Seattle: I was tricked into the scanner

Tuesday, December 21, 2010 18:10

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Larry in Seattle writes:

I have been very vocal in not allowing myself into a backscatter machine, but was tricked into it two days ago against my will.

I was getting on a flight for Seattle from Amsterdam after having to go to Berlin on business (I work at Microsoft). I walked up to security and someone pulled my passport and walked off telling me to stand in an arbitrary spot.

He then said to go stand in a cattle stall. I never travel to Europe so I assumed that was a holding area for some customs reason. A lady came over and said “Hold your arms up like in the picture”, I was kinda like “huh?” and looked in front of me and saw a stick figure drawing of a person with their arms over their head. I said “I don’t want to go in a backscatter machine, this isn’t a backscatter machine is it?” She said “No”, and I half heartedly lifted my arms up and said “what kind of a machine is this?” and a bar zoomed around me. The door opened and she pulled me out. I could then see a screen with a masked image of myself on it and knew they had put me into a backscatter machine against my will.

There was no way around these machines, there was no passthru or way to opt out. Only a funnel leading to two machines side by side. I looked from the other side and saw what looked to be a “normal” metal detector to the side but it was roped off with crime-scene like tape so you couldn’t get into it.

I’m furious about this.

It might have been a millimetre wave machine but what happened to informed consent?