I disagree as this is founded on nothing more than fear and a desire for the critics of TSA to want this to be happening. To suggest that the image of someone screened by AIT can be differentiated between someone physically attractive and someone who is not, is silly. It can not be done. Often times - heck, most of the time - general age can not be determined. Facial features can not be seen. And sometimes, even gender can not be determined. On top of that, the entire image for the backscatter is blurred.

It does depend on the airport if you will be selected or not. At SAT, lane that has the AIT the selection rate, at the end of the day, is about 25% to 20%. Slower airports have a higher selection rate, busy airports a lower selection rate.

prove it...

I'm very sorry, but as long as the TSA is refusing to provide full resolution images but are beating each other up over small equipment, I can't believe that.

Nice to see the TSA radio silence has been lifted and that eyecue and SATTSO are back to spout the company line.

Pistole said that children under the age of 12 will not be subject to the enhanced patdown. Frankly that age should be changed to 18 or at least 16. I think that is one battle that can be won (i.e. up the age limit).

Also check your airport as many have multiple entrances to the terminals and not all have the nudi-scopes just WTMD. I tend to chose those entrances to avoid the hassles.

Although an active thread, as the failed opt-out showed few Americans are buying into the hysteria. There are limits to our freedoms and just as no one can cry fire in a crowded theater and then seek First Amendment protection, so to are the protections of the Fourth amendment not absolute. It reads:
Protection against terrorism is not inherently unreasonable. Where current TSA searches may not be the most effective means of protection or the best thought through, the question of unreasonableness seems best left to the Courts.

Now there are some that will embrace civil disobedience and refuse to submit. This is unlikely to speed up the Court process and simply will cause inconvenience for others and perhaps yourself as well. Visits to sick relatives, visits for happy occasions, business meetings and more may be missed.

To you who feel strongly, write your congressmen, join in the court challenges, contribute to the ACLU and other organizations espousing your views, travel or don't travel in the interim as you see fit, BUT if you decide to opt-out please stay home.

So, because I see that SATTSO has replied to this thread since I posted, I am going to re-ask my question:

Does the TSA no longer promise that AIT images will only be viewed by same-gendered employees?

They have removed all mention of this aspect from their screening FAQs site.

From http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/faqs.shtm

And also, if you can still determine gender from the transmitted images, clearly the current "privacy algorithm" is insufficient.

I guess since you dont see that I post nearly every other day, you can claim this?

To follow my above post, I am referring to quotes such as this:

It is not exactly true that you cannot choose the detector or scanner. You can inform the agent that you will not use the metal detector and prefer the body scanner, and you will be sent through the scanner. I prefer to do this because the filter in my colostomy appliance has set off the metal detector before and the process for failing the body scanner is much quieter and tends not to garner the attention of onlookers.

You can also refuse the metal detector and request a pat down.

If you fail the scanner or the metal detector and are subject to a pat down, it is not as bad as advertised. I believe the pat down is altered for children under 12, or so I have read.

People selected for a pat down have the right to a witness of their choice and to a private screening.

Also, while you technically cannot choose the metal detector, at many airports the scanner is only in one line and they let you pick the line you go in.

When I last flew, more or less everybody was being selected for the scanners. But it was slow and they had four of them at that airport.

Perhaps but the three times I have gone through the millimeter wave scanner they have found my colostomy and seemed to know EXACTLY where it was. I suspect that the resolution is quite high. Though if it wasn't it would explain why one failure was determined to be in the groin area and one in the hip area two days apart on my last trip. I was wearing the same bag, which had not moved in 2 days. That was hilarious.

I've recently found out that as of now, OAK has 4 scanners in operation at Terminal 2 (where we would be leaving from), there is also a metal detector in use and you pick the line where you are screened. If true, we may be able to avoid the xray and patdown there. I've also heard that BOI has 2 xrays in use.

I find it interesting that the scanners used at both airports, as well as at SFO, are for Southwest Airlines. Sounds silly but I wonder if the TSA deems the higher risk travelers as discount tix purchasers. I'd be interested in learning about which airlines these scanners are servicing at other airports.

eturowski, despite SATTSO's claim, the TSA has NEVER said that the person viewing the NoS image in the back room is the same gender as the person being scanned. NEVER. They have said that the following measures are in place "to preserve privacy":
1) the person viewing the image is in a remote location and cannot directly see the person being scanned;
2) the face is blurred (note they have never said that the genital region is blurred - of course they can see enough of the person's image to identify gender!);
3) the images can't (won't/shouldn't/we-hope-they-won't) be stored;
4) no cameras allowed in viewing room.

This list would have been the perfect place to say "the person viewing the image is the same gender" but they never do.

TSA are relying on people making assumptions and extrapolating from the same-gender patdown.

Also, think of the logistics. One scanner is used for both men and women passengers. You'd have to have two smurfs in the back room, switching back and forth depending on the gender of the passenger; male smurf would have to leave the room or avert his eyes while a female passenger was being scanned. Just not going to happen.

The UK NoS procedure (where fewer passengers are scanned, and where opting out is not allowed) said that passengers could request that someone of the same gender view the image. Again, imagine how that happens in real life. Screener says "you've been randomly selected to be scanned", female passenger says "I request a female screener view the image", screener makes request into radio then tells passenger, "okay, go ahead." How would the passenger even know who was looking at the scan? Why would the screeners bother to change?

I get so tired of the folks who take the "I don't care who sees me" attitude. You know what? I'm no prude, but I do care who sees me. I would be very uncomfortable if I found a peeping tom outside my window. If someone is going to view me, I want to be aware of it and able to look him/her directly in the eye.

In that regard, I would feel much better about the NoS if I could see the TSO in the booth. One way glass would be fine. What do they have to hide?

RE: no cameras or cellphones in the booth. Nowhere have I seen it stated that a cellphone can not be in the booth - only that pictures can't be taken with one. In another thread, there was a long discussion about TSOs and what they needed to have on the job/in the sterile area. SATTSO strongly defended the powerful requirement for some TSOs, for personal/family reasons, to have a cellphone on their person at all times.

So how does this work? Per SATTSO, at least as far as he/she has observed at his/her airport, TSOs constantly rotate postions. So a TSO who must have a cellphone on his person at all times never gets assigned to the scanner? or does such a TSO go put the cellphone in his/her locker before each stint in the booth and retrieve it before the next rotation to other duties? Or does that TSO take it in the booth (because he/she, like SATTSO, has a overwhelming need to have a cellphone at all times. So then all that prevents that TSO from taking pictures of the scanner with his/her cellphone is the honor system?

BTW, where on the TSA website does it say that cameras and cellphones will not be permitted in the 'booth'?

I agree, you should definitely prepare your kids as to what may happen. The second statement is completely wrong however. Children under 12 do not have to go through the scanner. Make sure you're daughter is aware of this, as she may get selected and have to tell the TSO that she is under 12*.

*there are reports of TSOs requiring an ID for this claim. Make sure that she knows that she is exempt with or without an ID

Agreed. Between being seen naked by people I can see and being seen naked by someone I cannot see, the second is far more disturbing.