Originally Posted by Markx

What is with all the panic.....

1. Why are people so bothered about scanners?
The body scanners have a long and complex history. When first introduced, they came in two varieties - Millimeter Wave (MMW), which used non-ionizing microwaves, and Backscatter X-ray (BSX), which used ionizing radiation (x-rays). Initially, the scanners both created detailed images of travelers' bodies without their clothing, viewed by a TSO on a monitor. In other words, TSOs viewed naked pictures of you, and your spouse, and your children. The machines were later altered to include software that scanned automatically, so no more naked pictures - but the software also increased the number of false positives exponentially, and every false positive requires some kind of pat-down, either partial or full-body, to resolve it. The dangerous BSX machines were also retired, but there are some people who hold a fear (unfounded, in my opinion) of the MMW technology in the same way that they believe that cell phones cause brain tumors.

Personally, I have no problem with the MMW scanner now, except for the tremendous number of false positives leading to useless and abusive pat downs.

2. Why all the calls for sexual issues with a pat down
What a bunch of snowflakes
A full body rubdown with genital contact is not a pat down, it's a traumatic personal invasion that often leaves its victims in tears. For a non-cop to perform such an attack, under color of government authority, without any warrant, probable cause, or articulable suspicion, is the worst kind of violation. It is nothing less than a sexual assault, and it hurts people, sometimes severely. Maybe it doesn't hurt you, but please don't make the mistake of thinking that it hurts no one, or that the hurt it causes is imaginary, or the complaints of "snowflakes" (i.e. weak people).

Personally I would rather be safe....Why wouldn't I use a scanner?....No idea....same for everyone
Personally, I don't believe that the scanners make you safe. But see above for why many people don't want to use them.

All I can see here is the opportunity to sue someone...that is the US culture afterall

People need to grow a pair!