Washington (CNN) -- Airport body scanners that
produce graphic images of travelers' bodies will be removed from
checkpoints by June, the Transportation Security Administration says,
ending what critics called "virtual strip searches."
Passengers will continue
to pass through machines that display a generic outline of the human
body, raising fewer privacy concerns.
The TSA move came after
Rapiscan, the manufacturer of the 174 so-called "backscatter" machines,
acknowledged it could not meet a congressional-ordered deadline to
install privacy software on the machines.
"It is big news," said
Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information
Center. "It removes the concern that people are being viewed naked by
the TSA screener."
In 2004 and 2005, the TSA
at first dismissed privacy concerns, then sought to address them by
placing TSA officers viewing the scanner imagery in remote locations,
away from the passenger being screened. They also gave passengers the
right to an alternative screening -- a pat down.
But those solutions failed to appease privacy groups and some members of Congress, who felt both alternatives could be abused.
Ultimately, a problem
caused by technology was solved by technology. Security companies
developed privacy software, called Automated Target Recognition (ATR)
software.
But while manufacturers
of the less-intrusive "millimeter wave" machines found ways to use ATR
software, backscatter machines have not.
This week, the TSA announced it is ending its contract with Rapiscan "due to its inability to deploy non-imaging ATR software."
"By June 2013 travelers
will only see machines which have ATR that allow for faster throughput.
This means faster lanes for the traveler and enhanced security," the TSA
said in a statement.
The TSA could allow backscatter machines in the future if the company develops the required software, the TSA said.
Currently, the TSA uses
the 174 backscatter machines in 30 airports, and has another 76 units in
storage. It uses millimeter wave machines in 170 airports.
The decision to remove
the backscatter machine will make moot, at least temporarily, travelers'
concerns about the health effects of the machines. Backscatter machines
use X-rays, while millimeter wave machines use radio waves.
The TSA has long
maintained both machines are safe, but recently signed an agreement with
the National Academy of Sciences to study the scanners. The study will
continue even though the machines are being pulled, the TSA said,
because they could be reintroduced in the future.
Backscatter machines may be allowed again if the company develops the required software.
