The Transportation Security Administration has ended a contract with the Hawthorne-based manufacturer of a controversial full-body scanner used to screen passengers.
Rapiscan, a unit of OSI Systems Inc., manufactured about half of the full-body scanners used by the TSA to screen passengers for hidden weapons at airports across the country.
But TSA officials said the agency has canceled its contract with the company because it had failed to deliver software to protect the privacy of passengers.
The Transportation Security Administration has ended a contract with the Hawthorne-based manufacturer of a controversial full-body scanner used to screen passengers.
Rapiscan, a unit of OSI Systems Inc., manufactured about half of the full-body scanners used by the TSA to screen passengers for hidden weapons at airports across the country.
But TSA officials said the agency has canceled its contract with the company because it had failed to deliver software to protect the privacy of passengers.
So after years denying these cancer scanners violate pax privacy, the TSA finally admits it, blaming the contractor. Good thing for us the TSA had a scape goat.
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But TSA officials said the agency has canceled its contract with the company because it had failed to deliver software to protect the privacy of passengers....
TSA gave Rapiscan until June 2013 to come up with a software upgrade to prevent the scanner from projecting the naked image.
B.. b.. b.. but... from the very beginning, Blogdad Bob and his friends insisted that it was a "chalky outline", a "fuzzy negative", "safe for a kindergarten", and that the passengers' privacy was absolutely, 100% protected already. "It's not a naked image", they chanted in unison, again and again.
Do you think he was................. lying?
Quote:
The Rapiscan scanners have also be criticized by privacy advocates and some health officials, who question whether the machines expose passengers to too much radiation.
Oh, well, um, yes, um, there's that too. But I guess now we'll never know.
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The agency will replace the Rapiscan machines with 60 units manufactured by L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL), the agency’s other body-scanner supplier.
And there's worse news for someone, either federal employees or people who visit federal buildings:
Quote:
OSI Systems is “pleased to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement with the TSA” that will involve moving the machines to other government agencies, Chief Executive Officer Deepak Chopra said in a statement.
And there's worse news for someone, either federal employees or people who visit federal buildings:
Quote:
OSI Systems is “pleased to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement with the TSA” that will involve moving the machines to other government agencies, Chief Executive Officer Deepak Chopra said in a statement.
Ideally here:
__________________ When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty. - George Bernard Shaw
It's only the x-ray ones being removed from airports; as OldGoat said, they'll be replaced by MMW scanners. Which is a tiny step in the right direction, but not as good as removing all body scanners completely.
__________________ When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty. - George Bernard Shaw
It's only the x-ray ones being removed from airports; as OldGoat said, they'll be replaced by MMW scanners. Which is a tiny step in the right direction, but not as good as removing all body scanners completely.
Right, FLL, PHX, AZA, HNL, KOA, SEA, JFK will have MMW, am I correct? I think they will phasing out the BKSX. I am being too tired of them about TSA who trying to putting those passengers into the scanner. It's unacceptable!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by N830MH
Right, FLL, PHX, AZA, HNL, KOA, SEA, JFK will have MMW, am I correct? I think they will phasing out the BKSX. I am being too tired of them about TSA who trying to putting those passengers into the scanner. It's unacceptable!
You're missing the bigger picture here. Yes, the BKSX are on the way out, but TSA isn't going to put WTMD in their place - they'll be replaced with MMW w/ATR. Like RadioGirl said, a small step in the right direction, but far from the best possible scenario. It's like being stabbed with a paring knife instead of a machete - it's probably easier to handle, but you'd prefer not to be stabbed at all.
I suspect it's (literally) going to take an act of Congress if we ever want to see NoS out of airports for good.
You folks who posted excerpts from the article missed the most important takeaways, although you did allude to it:
The Rapiscan scanner uses low-level X-rays to create what looks like a naked image of screened passengers to target weapons hidden under the clothes.
.... TSA gave Rapiscan until June 2013 to come up with a software upgrade to prevent the scanner from projecting the naked image.
TSA and their blogger Bob said *wasn't* a naked image. Guess TSA has been lying all along. Now those machines are gone, they can admit the truth. Wonder what else they're lying about.
Perhaps they'll give those machines to federal prisons. That's where they should have been deployed, not on the innocent public.
You folks who posted excerpts from the article missed the most important takeaways, although you did allude to it:
The Rapiscan scanner uses low-level X-rays to create what looks like a naked image of screened passengers to target weapons hidden under the clothes.
.... TSA gave Rapiscan until June 2013 to come up with a software upgrade to prevent the scanner from projecting the naked image.
TSA and their blogger Bob said *wasn't* a naked image. Guess TSA has been lying all along. Now those machines are gone, they can admit the truth. Wonder what else they're lying about.
Perhaps they'll give those machines to federal prisons. That's where they should have been deployed, not on the innocent public.
Well, I'm glad that is done.
It is a good thing they did not save any of the images.
Wait......You don't think they lied about that, too, do you?
Nah.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by InkUnderNails
Well, I'm glad that is done.
It is a good thing they did not save any of the images.
Wait......You don't think they lied about that, too, do you?
Nah.
The only protection we have from such a thing is TSA's demonstrable incompetence.
If they were ordered to secretly save thousands of NoS images at a secure government data vault in North Dakota, some rocket surgeon would inevitably hit the Deliver key to send them on their way. You know, the one marked DEL, right next to Home and Insert.
You folks who posted excerpts from the article missed the most important takeaways, although you did allude to it:
The Rapiscan scanner uses low-level X-rays to create what looks like a naked image of screened passengers to target weapons hidden under the clothes.
.... TSA gave Rapiscan until June 2013 to come up with a software upgrade to prevent the scanner from projecting the naked image.
TSA and their blogger Bob said *wasn't* a naked image. Guess TSA has been lying all along. Now those machines are gone, they can admit the truth. Wonder what else they're lying about.
I would note that the statements above regarding allegedly "naked images" were made by the LA Times writer, not TSA itself. My guess is that TSA used its usual verbal judo to avoid saying the words "naked image", and the writer paraphrased into that form.
In short ... TSA still has plausible deniability on that issue.
