Test of the body scanner comes to an end (Germany - HAM)
Jul 28, 2011, 6:12 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
Test of the body scanner comes to an end (Germany - HAM)
Highlights from the article are quoted below, with my words in italics. Essentially, it continued to be a complete failure, was seen as a time-wasting toy, and required the vast majority of travellers to be more inconvenienced and to require more searches than those using the WTMD.
http://biztravel.fvw.de/test-der-koe...393/92188/4070
.
Article then goes on to discuss Pistole and the improved scanner displays in the US airports.
My translation of the key points:
In the the next week the test of the body scanner at HAM will come to an end. It is doubtful if the model will fall into regular use.
....
The two scanners were seen as an event at the airport. While frequent flyers searched for all methods to avoid the scanner (note, it was optional), tourists with a lot of time to spare used the scanner to pass the time. Time was needed. Passengers had to remove more clothing and remove more items from pockets onto the luggage belt than by traditional methods. And yet most of the passengers scanned still required a check from security personnel. Even layers of clothing (pleats) in a shirt or dress were identified by the scanner as controlworthy.
Although the Federal police extended the test from three to nine months, the work flow did not improve. The scanner software said it should be a regular daily use item, but according to the Norddeutschen Rundfunks (media), the scanners are being dismantled.
After the end of the test the Federal police and the Ministry of the Interior will discuss the results. It is possible that other scanner experiences such as those used in the Netherlands or the UK could be brought into use. (Based on the recent EU ruling and the public opinion towards privacy in Germany I see this as a remote possiblity - possible, but not probable in the near future)
http://biztravel.fvw.de/test-der-koe...393/92188/4070
Test der Körper-Scanner endet
In der nächsten Woche endet der Test der Körper-Scanner auf dem Flughafen Hamburg. Ob das eingesetzte Modell auf Dauer genutzt wird, ist zweifelhaft.
Die beiden Körper-Scanner auf dem Flughafen haben sich als Event-Instrument bewährt. Während Vielflieger die Kontrolldurchlässe mit den Scannern unter allen Umständen zu vermeiden suchten, nutzten Touristen mit viel Zeit bis zum Abflug die Personenkontrolle im Scanner als Zeitvertreib. Denn Zeit benötigt man. Die Passagiere mussten mehr Kleidung ablegen, mehr Gegenstände aus den Taschen auf das Gepäckband legen als bei den traditionellen Torsonden. Und doch wurde die Mehrzahl der Gescannten anschließend noch vom Sicherheitspersonal abgetastet. Denn schon Falten im Hemd oder Kleid markierten die Scanner als kontrollwürdig.
Obwohl die Bundespolizei den Test um drei auf neun Monate verlängert hatte, besserte sich der Arbeitsablauf nicht. Per Software sollten die Scanner alltagstauglich gemacht werden. Nach Informationen des Norddeutschen Rundfunks sollen die Geräte nun abgebaut werden.
Nach Testende werden die Bundespolizei und das Bundesinnenministerium über die Erfahrungen beraten. Denkbar ist, dass auch die Erfahrungen mit anderen Scanner-Typen, die beispielsweise in Großbritannien und den Niederlanden genutzt werden, hinzu gezogen werden
In der nächsten Woche endet der Test der Körper-Scanner auf dem Flughafen Hamburg. Ob das eingesetzte Modell auf Dauer genutzt wird, ist zweifelhaft.
Die beiden Körper-Scanner auf dem Flughafen haben sich als Event-Instrument bewährt. Während Vielflieger die Kontrolldurchlässe mit den Scannern unter allen Umständen zu vermeiden suchten, nutzten Touristen mit viel Zeit bis zum Abflug die Personenkontrolle im Scanner als Zeitvertreib. Denn Zeit benötigt man. Die Passagiere mussten mehr Kleidung ablegen, mehr Gegenstände aus den Taschen auf das Gepäckband legen als bei den traditionellen Torsonden. Und doch wurde die Mehrzahl der Gescannten anschließend noch vom Sicherheitspersonal abgetastet. Denn schon Falten im Hemd oder Kleid markierten die Scanner als kontrollwürdig.
Obwohl die Bundespolizei den Test um drei auf neun Monate verlängert hatte, besserte sich der Arbeitsablauf nicht. Per Software sollten die Scanner alltagstauglich gemacht werden. Nach Informationen des Norddeutschen Rundfunks sollen die Geräte nun abgebaut werden.
Nach Testende werden die Bundespolizei und das Bundesinnenministerium über die Erfahrungen beraten. Denkbar ist, dass auch die Erfahrungen mit anderen Scanner-Typen, die beispielsweise in Großbritannien und den Niederlanden genutzt werden, hinzu gezogen werden
Article then goes on to discuss Pistole and the improved scanner displays in the US airports.
My translation of the key points:
In the the next week the test of the body scanner at HAM will come to an end. It is doubtful if the model will fall into regular use.
....
The two scanners were seen as an event at the airport. While frequent flyers searched for all methods to avoid the scanner (note, it was optional), tourists with a lot of time to spare used the scanner to pass the time. Time was needed. Passengers had to remove more clothing and remove more items from pockets onto the luggage belt than by traditional methods. And yet most of the passengers scanned still required a check from security personnel. Even layers of clothing (pleats) in a shirt or dress were identified by the scanner as controlworthy.
Although the Federal police extended the test from three to nine months, the work flow did not improve. The scanner software said it should be a regular daily use item, but according to the Norddeutschen Rundfunks (media), the scanners are being dismantled.
After the end of the test the Federal police and the Ministry of the Interior will discuss the results. It is possible that other scanner experiences such as those used in the Netherlands or the UK could be brought into use. (Based on the recent EU ruling and the public opinion towards privacy in Germany I see this as a remote possiblity - possible, but not probable in the near future)
Jul 28, 2011, 6:19 am
#3
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Highlights from the article are quoted below, with my words in italics. Essentially, it continued to be a complete failure, was seen as a time-wasting toy, and required the vast majority of travellers to be more inconvenienced and to require more searches than those using the WTMD.
http://biztravel.fvw.de/test-der-koe...393/92188/4070
.
Article then goes on to discuss Pistole and the improved scanner displays in the US airports.
My translation of the key points:
In the the next week the test of the body scanner at HAM will come to an end. It is doubtful if the model will fall into regular use.
....
The two scanners were seen as an event at the airport. While frequent flyers searched for all methods to avoid the scanner (note, it was optional), tourists with a lot of time to spare used the scanner to pass the time. Time was needed. Passengers had to remove more clothing and remove more items from pockets onto the luggage belt than by traditional methods. And yet most of the passengers scanned still required a check from security personnel. Even layers of clothing (pleats) in a shirt or dress were identified by the scanner as controlworthy.
Although the Federal police extended the test from three to nine months, the work flow did not improve. The scanner software said it should be a regular daily use item, but according to the Norddeutschen Rundfunks (media), the scanners are being dismantled.
After the end of the test the Federal police and the Ministry of the Interior will discuss the results. It is possible that other scanner experiences such as those used in the Netherlands or the UK could be brought into use. (Based on the recent EU ruling and the public opinion towards privacy in Germany I see this as a remote possiblity - possible, but not probable in the near future)
http://biztravel.fvw.de/test-der-koe...393/92188/4070
.
Article then goes on to discuss Pistole and the improved scanner displays in the US airports.
My translation of the key points:
In the the next week the test of the body scanner at HAM will come to an end. It is doubtful if the model will fall into regular use.
....
The two scanners were seen as an event at the airport. While frequent flyers searched for all methods to avoid the scanner (note, it was optional), tourists with a lot of time to spare used the scanner to pass the time. Time was needed. Passengers had to remove more clothing and remove more items from pockets onto the luggage belt than by traditional methods. And yet most of the passengers scanned still required a check from security personnel. Even layers of clothing (pleats) in a shirt or dress were identified by the scanner as controlworthy.
Although the Federal police extended the test from three to nine months, the work flow did not improve. The scanner software said it should be a regular daily use item, but according to the Norddeutschen Rundfunks (media), the scanners are being dismantled.
After the end of the test the Federal police and the Ministry of the Interior will discuss the results. It is possible that other scanner experiences such as those used in the Netherlands or the UK could be brought into use. (Based on the recent EU ruling and the public opinion towards privacy in Germany I see this as a remote possiblity - possible, but not probable in the near future)
Jul 28, 2011, 9:26 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 642
Not the best of plans I must say.
Jul 28, 2011, 10:30 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Posts: 349
Sounds like a typical TSA plan to me
Last edited by RoadVeteran; Jul 28, 2011 at 10:31 am Reason: corrections
Jul 30, 2011, 9:19 am
#8
Join Date: May 2010
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Posts: 1,025
The weekly Welt am Sonntag, quoting a police report, said 35 percent of the 730,000 passengers checked by the scanners set off the alarm more than once despite being innocent.
The report said the machines were confused by several layers of clothing, boots, zip fasteners and even pleats, while in 10 percent of cases the passenger's posture set them off.
The police called for the scanners to be made less sensitive to movements and certain types of clothing and the software to be improved. They also said the US manufacturer L3 Communications should make them work faster.
This is gonna be just great as they roll it out (ATD) here in the USA!
I wonder how AMS deals with it - They're using the same cr@p!
Jul 30, 2011, 11:32 am
#9
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...1cb6808c7f.881
This is gonna be just great as they roll it out (ATD) here in the USA!
I wonder how AMS deals with it - They're using the same cr@p!
This is gonna be just great as they roll it out (ATD) here in the USA!
I wonder how AMS deals with it - They're using the same cr@p!
Posture is an interesting 'reason' - sweat stains were also a common reason in the German test.
They also said the US manufacturer L3 Communications should make them work faster
I am biting my tongue so as not to post a common stereotype here! 
Jul 30, 2011, 11:36 am
#10
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Jul 30, 2011, 2:31 pm
#11
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Jul 30, 2011, 2:37 pm
#12
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,051
What is a "smart people"? Educated? Or wise and skeptical. I'll grant that the country has been on a slide due to Madison Avenue brainwashing. But we probably have more doctoral degrees than ever in history. But at the same time, we've been exposed to more manipulation by the media than any people ever. Somehow we've lost the "smart" of Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and H. L. Mencken. How long since you've heard a college grad quote any of those guys?
Labels ill apply to Mencken, who said, "I am my own party," although he certainly was against big government and for laissez-faire capitalism. But in the 1920s, scarred by the crackdown on German Americans and socialists during World War I, he was a radical freethinker who noisily waged war against the booboisie (his term for the stupid and the gullible)
Jul 30, 2011, 5:09 pm
#13
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
There are many more media reports now that the test has come to an end this week. Oddly enough, this one quotes Welt am Sonntag, as did Wimpie's English language article. But the German version has far higher failure rates.
http://www.rtl.de/cms/news/rtl-aktue...17-821756.html
My translations and comments again in italics.
According to reports from 'Welt am Sonntag' internal dcouments showed a current alarm rate of 70 percent.
The article goes on to say that results will be analyzed in the coming weeks and that there will be many discussions including legal, political, and financial. According to the federal police tests should only continue if adjustments are made to reduce the high failure rate through improved equipment.
Pretty much every major source I have checked quotes the 70 percent rate, which may possibly have been lowered from the earlier 85-95 percent rate with the 'improved' technology in place since the test was extended a few months ago.
http://www.rtl.de/cms/news/rtl-aktue...17-821756.html
My translations and comments again in italics.
Körperscanner: Ständig Fehlalarm
Body scanner: Constant false alarms
Der umstrittene Körperscanner ist offenbar bei dem Praxistest auf dem Hamburger Flugahfen durchgefallen. Er soll ständige Fehlalarme verursacht haben.
The controversial bodyscanner has flunked the test at HAM. It gave constant false alarms.
Body scanner: Constant false alarms
Der umstrittene Körperscanner ist offenbar bei dem Praxistest auf dem Hamburger Flugahfen durchgefallen. Er soll ständige Fehlalarme verursacht haben.
The controversial bodyscanner has flunked the test at HAM. It gave constant false alarms.
The article goes on to say that results will be analyzed in the coming weeks and that there will be many discussions including legal, political, and financial. According to the federal police tests should only continue if adjustments are made to reduce the high failure rate through improved equipment.
Pretty much every major source I have checked quotes the 70 percent rate, which may possibly have been lowered from the earlier 85-95 percent rate with the 'improved' technology in place since the test was extended a few months ago.
Jul 31, 2011, 8:29 pm
#14
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
My mother thought that it was fun to look at her house on Google Streetview - for about five minutes. Then she came to the realisation that if she could see everything, so could anyone else using the internet.
That is why we need a TSA equivalent of 'naked man climbs into the trunk of his car whilst dog stands by, unperturbed'. Naked man did a lot to raise the awareness of privacy issues in Germany, and one day soon I am convinced that one of the passengers in the US will become the equivalent to the US public.
Jul 31, 2011, 9:11 pm
#15
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,425
yet here we are in this country, going down that same road.
The TSA has seized our freedoms by the throat, has grabbed us by the testicles and assaults the language to hide what they are doing. Strip searches become "scanning", extreme rubbing/groping of sex organs, buttocks become "patdown", genitals become "resistance" .
Sonderbehandlung anyone?