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A Mountain Reflection: Body Scanners Part II
{etRelated 50095, 46982, left}The widespread deployment of body scanners in the nation's airports caused quite a stir over the holiday season, but the issue has been brushed aside somewhat, in this ever-changing news environment.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and specifically the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) continues to use 1,800 whole body imaging scanners in airports around the country.
Concerns about the imaging scanners mostly center on health issues and privacy.
For health, the government deemed the imaging machines safe, due to the low amounts of radiation concentrated on the surface of the body, using new terahertz (THz) radiation, or “T-Rays.” Some in the medical profession supported the safety of these scanners, based mostly on the lower radiation argument.
But as mentioned previously, Boian Alexandrov, a DNA researcher with Los Alamos National Laboratory's Center for Non Linear Studies, caused a stir when he found that THz waves had a resonant effect on double-stranded DNA.
“Based on our results we argue that a specific terahertz radiation exposure may significantly affect the natural dynamics of DNA, and thereby influence intricate molecular processes involved in gene expression and DNA replication,” wrote Alexandrov in his report DNA Breathing Dynamics in the Presence of a Terahertz Field.
Maybe you frequent flyers should consider this, opting for a pat down next time instead (just to change things up). I'm not necessarily asserting that airport scanners are harmful. The jury's still out, and independent research is needed to continue exploring the impact of THz waves on human DNA, and the whether there's a real possibility for genetic mutations.
Privacy
President of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Marc Rotenberg has been invited to testify on March 16 before the Subcommittee on National Security, part of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
“The hearing is expected to explore the privacy impact, health concerns, and questions of effectiveness that have been raised about the [body scanner] program,” stated a notice on EPIC's website.
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{mospagebreak}EPIC filed a lawsuit against the DHS, calling for a suspension of body scanner use, and opening arguments began last week in the DC Court of Appeals in Washington. Fellow petitioners include EPIC advisory board members Bruce Schneier, a security technologist and author, former Amnesty International Chairman Chip Pitts, and Nadhira Al-Khalili, legal counsel for CAIR (Counsel on American-Islamic Relations).
In its opening brief filed in November, EPIC asserted that DHS “has initiated the most sweeping, the most invasive, and the most unaccountable suspicionless search of American travelers in history … in disregard of federal statutes and constitutional safeguards.”
DHS filed an opposition brief in January, saying that the implementation of Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) was in line with mandates from Congress, and the security responsibilities bestowed on the TSA and its parent agency, DHS.
EPIC said that during opening arguments last week, DHS counsel stated that the agency believes it has legal authority to strip search every air traveler, and further, institute mandatory strip searches without public comment.
{etRelated 50095, 46982}Forbes reported earlier this month on claims by EPIC that DHS/TSA documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal that the agency has spent millions on mobile scanning technology that could be used at stadiums and train stations, and has plans to expand the technology to monitor crowds. Technology developed by Siemens even has the ability to track eye movements. The TSA has denied testing mobile scanners, according to Forbes.
The technology genie is out of the bottle.
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