Originally Posted by studentff

I wonder if the "alarm" rate on the strip search machines is much higher that the public has been led to believe. TSA's argument to the public for the nude-o-scope relies heavily on the idea of reducing patdowns, but like TSA actions in the past, reality might be the opposite.

There has been much discussion about how TSA would resolve nude-o-scope alarms from feminine hygiene products, adult diapers, attached medical devices, prosthetics, and so forth, which when combined, add up to a non-trivial portion of the population.

But it's possible the machines are "alarming" (i.e., SOP requires a patdown because the nude-o-scope can't see something or identify something) on other even more common objects that are not removed or even part of the body--pants clasps/zippers, bra straps, body jewelry, or even folds of fat/skin through which the scope can't see. Since TSA must "resolve" every "alarm," it's possible that the nude-o-scope would drastically increase the patdown rate in this scenario.