Mar 12, 2012
Full body scanners to be used in Australian airports
Legislation has been introduced for full body scanners to be used in Australian airports. Unlike in the US and Europe, there will be no opt outs available. The scan is basically like a “digital strip search”. Civil Liberties Austrailia states that passengers should be able to request a pat-down instead. This option is available in the US. These scans are a major violation of civil rights and privacy and are not proven to guarantee the protection that is argued to be necessary by the governments implementing them. There was evidence that a handgun was smuggled through a full body scanner without detection. Are the machine worth the money and invasion of privacy? This is not a question that can be easily answered.
21 reasons scientists oppose body scanners
http://warondriving.com/post/9114691887/tsa-bodyscanners
I personally think that these machines are useless. By implementing such machines they are violating people’s privacy. There must be other ways to detect any dangerous item than by scanning people’s body (digital strip search). For all these years these machines were not on the market and I mean after the 911 incident there has not been a major case that led the government to such measures. There was also evidence of being able to smuggle in a lighter and the machine did not detect that, so I’m convinced it still doesn’t do the job for which it has been implemented and moreover violates human rights