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| TSA X-Ray Machines Easily Fooled, Researchers Find |
| 2010-12-15 |
| Any would-be terrorist can easily outsmart the ubiquitous backscatter scanners found in major airports around the world, two scientists say. The Transportation Security Administration's X-ray backscatter scanners have been the center of a widespread controversy, following concerns from privacy advocates that they take nearly naked photos of people. The trade-off is improved security, of course. Yet Leon Kaufman and Joseph W. Carlson, two physics professors at the University of California, San Francisco offer a stark conclusion: They can be easily duped, according to a recent paper published in the Journal of Transportation Security. No - the trade off is a increased false sense of security. "It is very likely that a large (15--20 cm in diameter), irregularly-shaped, cm-thick pancake with beveled edges, taped to the abdomen, would be invisible to this technology -- ironically because of its large volume, since it is easily confused with normal anatomy," the researchers said in the paper. Kaufman and Carlson conclude that some types of foreign objects can be reliable detected only if they are packed outside the sides of the body, and some well hidden items would be impossible to see even with the scanner. Such a shaped object would probably also be undetectable to even the grope-searches the TSA loves to give. How does the groper know if that is your breast (or beer belly) or 5-20 lbs of explosives without really feeling (as in skin on skin contact) or actual examination? Because of the inherent detection methods, raising the level of X-ray exposure and thus the picture clarity wouldn't help. "Even if exposure were to be increased significantly, normal anatomy would make a dangerous amount of plastic explosive with tapered edges difficult if not impossible to detect." The TSA maintains that the machines remain an integral part of their security arsenal. Of course it is. Its not intended to actually find anything or stop any threats. How many attacks have the TSA stopped so far? None. The intended 'target' is the American public - to get them used to being stripped searched at the whim of government bureaucrats. It's security theater ... |
| Posted by:CrazyFool |
| #3 Porno-security? |
| Posted by: Skunky Glins**** 2010-12-15 20:20 |
| #2 Wow, I feel safer already! /sarc |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-12-15 10:25 |
| #1 Full sex with TSA agents: It's the only way to be sure. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2010-12-15 09:00 |