jackonferry

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-0...e-privacy.html

Per the link, TSA is looking to use software to cover the images generated by NoS. I wonder how this will affect the growing opposition to these machines.

chollie

Now I need an avatar to protect my naughty bits from groping hands.

Too bad there isn't some kind of 'personal avatar' that generates a shock when forcefully grasped....

bocastephen

If those morons would have used a full avatar and just had the machine indicate the presence of a dense object on the avatar requiring a further check, the opposition would be limited to radiation issues.

If those morons had focused on passive wave detection instead of emitting radiation, the opposition would be limited to time/delay issues.

If those morons had focused on devices that do the scanning quickly or in various positions around the bag x-rays to minimize delays to passengers, the opposition would be limited to the rest of the idiotic crap and 'tude the TSA gives the traveling public.

doober

However, that does not address another issue: that these machines are still overkill, no matter what the TSA says is the next emerging threat.

bocastephen

These machines are overkill, yes - but the WTMD are next to useless. I wanted to see a happy medium, using new non-invasive technology (like non-conductive ultrasound) to sample a passenger, detect a wider variety of concealed items, and leverage neural-net learning to aid in rapid identification of known dangerous items - all of which could be done without irradiating someone or looking at their privates.

However, nothing will guarantee or even assure absolute security - and until we're mature enough to accept that everything we do involves a certain amount of risk, we're going to continue these overkill initiatives that don't "solve" the problem, yet create more animosity and angst among the traveling public.

The TSA could have moved away from simple WTMD with a better solution - but chose instead to take the low road, reward a crooked former leader and just ram this crap down everyone's throat. Now we're trying to ram it right back at them - and thankfully, the tide of public and political opinion is turning against these machines.

Wally Bird

The TSA could have been less damn arrogant in assuming that they could simply roll out these machines and we'd all bow and say "yes, Sir, thank you, Sir". Will this experience change that attitide ? In a pig's ear it will.

As for Rapiscan etc., why has it taken over a year to come up with a solution which would have occurred to anyone with half a brain (and no financial interest) at first umm.. glance ? Maybe they at least will learn from the uproar.

WIRunner

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-0...e-privacy.html

Not a moment too soon if you ask me.
Now to just get rid of them completely.

Sean5294

lol i sugessted this last year on bobs site.

FriendlySkies

x100000

At least the perv in the closet is going to disappear! However, we still need to get rid of these machines!

IslandBased

The avatar looks anorexic. Does it conform to body type, completely replace the image, or does the average person just hang out around the edges?

IslandBased

If they used the avatar to demonstrate the machine, TSA would have confused it with animation.

erictank

So, are they going to do these avatar overlays the same way they "redacted" that SOP that got leaked last year?

Yeah, color me unimpressed by this concept...

mozgytog

Even with these 'avatars' the machine is still capturing an actual image. It wouldn't be that hard to locate the actual images if a person were so inclined.

Wally Bird

To what end, if the subject is unidentifiable on the image .

mozgytog

They're still capturing an actual image of the subject. That they only display an avatar is, much like the blur, no indication that they didn't store an actual naked photo.