Feds Abused Privacy by Storing Body Scan
The U.S. Marshals Service has admitted to storing body scans of Orlando citizens visiting the federal courthouse.
Are federal agencies storing images of those scanned by millimeter wave systems or X-ray backscatter devices? Apparently that may be the case even though said federal agencies have insisted that images resulting in body scans are discarded as soon as they are viewed. One agency--the U.S. Marshals Service--has stepped forward, admitting to hording tens of thousands of images recorded at a security checkpoint in a Florida courthouse.
Body scanning devices have been a sore spot for privacy advocates for some time, especially where children are concerned. Typically millimeter wave systems capture fuzzy images but still get the job done, illustrating possible concealed weapons. An X-ray backscatter machine is a bit more thorough, penetrating layers of clothing to render anatomical details best left private.
The privacy debate regarding the use of body scanners was set ablaze two weeks ago when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the Transportation Security Administration's body scanning program would soon incorporate nearly every airport across the nation. This provoked a lawsuit by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), requesting that a federal judge grant an immediate halt on the TSA's scanner rollout.
Tuesday afternoon EPIC received a statement from the Marshals Service relating to a separate lawsuit. The document, written by William Bordley, an associate general counsel with the Marshals Service, admitted that "approximately 35,314 images...have been stored on the Brijot Gen2 machine" located in the Orlando, Florida federal courthouse. Again, these images were supposedly "discarded."
"TSA is not being straightforward with the public about the capabilities of these devices," EPIC executive director Marc Rotenberg told CNET. "This is the Department of Homeland Security subjecting every U.S. traveler to an intrusive search that can be recorded without any suspicion--I think it's outrageous."
EPIC's lawsuit argues that the body scanners violate the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits "unreasonable" searches. The TSA disagrees, saying that use the machines is perfectly constitutional. Guess we'll see what the judge thinks when both cases are presented.
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if you believe everything the federal agancies say then you are a moron
Is there anything the Feds do that doesn't violate peoples privacy?
This feels kinda Facist
I miss George Carlin, RIP.
Never fly again, and now never go to court unless dragged by an officer.
Gotcha.
Errosion of constitutional rights (4th ammendment)The Fourth Amendment (Amendment IV) to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures. The amendment specifically also requires search and arrest warrants be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause.
is it just me or didn't they previously claim that these machines where "incapable" of storing said images? Seems to me it's just another wave of BS to wash up on shore for everyone to see.
OMG...someones got a strange unidentifiable picture of my peewee...rofl...SOOO...post it on the internet...jerk off over it...see if I give a monkeys nuts
I knew it wouldn't take long for something like this to happen.
What I would like to know however is what use is it for any federal organization to keep the body scans in the first place?
Assuming those kept are simply random people.
As for the court case I have a pretty good idea whats to come of it. Absolutely nothing! These things will continue to be put into airports and whether publicly known or not they will keep records if they wish. We live in a society that puts "national security" before the rights of the people while failing to realize that without our rights we wouldn't have a nation worth defending in the first place.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."
-Benjamin Franklin
Who in their right mind did not think these would be kept? If a plane blew up mid atlantic do you not think they would want to refer back to these images of the passengers boarding the flight?
Grow up this is the real world and its a dangerous place.
Grow up this is the real world and its a dangerous place.
It's dangerous to be a law-abiding citizen, yes.
Little late to arrest the guy at that point don't you think.
I remember reading comments when this first hit that this would never happen and if it did, people would be outraged and stand up against it. Well, it happened. Unfortunately the extent of the outrage seems to be the very people who were outraged in the first place.
The only comment of merit for these scanners is that the increased security is worth the loss of privacy. Actual effectiveness aside I'll refer you to NuclearShadow's comments above. These scanners shouldn't have been implemented in the first place.
Is anyone surprised? You give government authority and they inevitably abuse it. Thats why in order to preserve freedom government should be given as few powers as possible.
It's dangerous to be a law-abiding citizen, yes.
I agree completely...
To everyone that doesn't care what happens to those images, probably because they're very comfortable with their own anatomy, not because they are really concerned with transportation security, just see how you feel when you finally realize that your loved ones will be subjected to the same privacy invasion.
Just a thought...
It seems like a matter of time and these pics will beon the net some where.
Why store them? What good would it do? I think thats the most important question, theres has got to be a good reason...maybe they are creating profiles on everyone and are including body scans in them along with all your other personal imformation. One go as far to say maybe they are developing system to identify people using you measurements from your body scans. If that were the case they could put up scanners everywhere like at airports and such have them linked to a central database of our "profiles" and you can be located and idenified just by walking through a door. If you were being hunted by the governemnt and you get rid of obvious ways of tracking you like cell phone and credit cards they could still track you just by walking into a building. They have similar systems with cameras but they require facial features this doesn't. Please tell me im not paranoid
not surprised...
All this goverment can do is print and spend money and keep naked pictures of its citizens. Implosion immenent.
ehh oh well. what can u do. I'm glad I don't really care. go ahead and scan me and post my naked x-rays everywhere. i'm not offended. I'm offended for other people, just not myself.
i mean, i use to like chinese food, but now i dont give a !@#$
All this goverment can do is print and spend money and keep naked pictures of its citizens. Implosion immenent.
LOL, I laugh because its true and because Ive gone MAD!
All the government needs to do is claim that the new process can spot the newest or the last threat. -- Allegedly (According to the Disc. Channel special) the Underwear bomber would have been discovered via BS-XRay. Suddenly we're giving away our privacy for apparent security.
Though - the Underwear Bomber failed due to normal defenses, of an alert public & flight crew. -- And would have failed anyway, according to the tests done by the experts.
Oh -- and what are the long term health effects of BackScatter X-Rays? How do they compare for example to the X-Rays used in the Shoe Stores of the 50's ?
Who in their right mind did not think these would be kept? If a plane blew up mid atlantic do you not think they would want to refer back to these images of the passengers boarding the flight?Grow up this is the real world and its a dangerous place.
Got news for you the world has ALWAYS been a dangerous place. To use that as an excuse to even remotely violate the rights and protections of a people is just seems down right wrong. Mankind as gone through a lot worse times and that is why we have the rights and protections we have today.
Who in their right mind did not think these would be kept? If a plane blew up mid atlantic do you not think they would want to refer back to these images of the passengers boarding the flight?Grow up this is the real world and its a dangerous place.
I prefer to let a few plane go down in flame then that.
Got news for you the world has ALWAYS been a dangerous place. To use that as an excuse to even remotely violate the rights and protections of a people is just seems down right wrong. Mankind as gone through a lot worse times and that is why we have the rights and protections we have today.
Fear not, we will protect them. To arms, citizens!
Thats why I love being Canadian!
Dogs would make a much better scanner than these things would, and much less invasive. Here's a thought too, use profiling to search the correct people. An 85 year old in a wheelchair is much less likely to carry explosives onto an airplane than a 18 - 35 year old male born in the middle east.
Feds masturbating to x-rays... I'd rather real pornography.
What a bunch of weak willed fags....there is actually a war being wagged..a war against terror....some of your fellow country men are laying down their lives for that war to protect you....you moan about your privacy,liberty and rights...they are giving up their "right to life" in this battle and you moan about this!!! pathetic...a war has consequences for everyone so just toughen up.
What a bunch of weak willed fags....there is actually a war being wagged..a war against terror....some of your fellow country men are laying down their lives for that war to protect you....you moan about your privacy,liberty and rights...they are giving up their "right to life" in this battle and you moan about this!!! pathetic...a war has consequences for everyone so just toughen up.
From someone who fought in those wars, I disagree. There should be a reason for me or anyone else to be taking up arms and laying our lives. That reason is to protect your rights or we just become a war mongering fascist state.
From someone who fought in those wars, I disagree. There should be a reason for me or anyone else to be taking up arms and laying our lives. That reason is to protect your rights or we just become a war mongering fascist state.
+1 to you, my kind sir.
Thats why I love being Canadian!
Ummm... you do know we have these in Canadian airports too right?