Show Me Your Breasts, Now!

This is one of those moments where you find yourself shaking your head and reconsidering whether or not you want to travel to or from the US.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is between a rock and a hard place with respect to enforcing enhanced security procedures at US airports irrespective of whether it is trying to marshal people through new full-body x-ray scanners or the overly-zealous enhanced pat-down procedures which gives them the right to "feel you up".

Yet, there are those occasions where you wonder what some of these TSA people are thinking.

Cathy Bossi, a breast cancer survivor and a former flight attendant, was subject to both the x-ray scan and an enhanced pat-down. When the x-ray scanner shows up something unusual or 'suspicious' then a pat-down is mandatory. For Bossi, the x-ray scan showed up a prosthetic breast. This suspicious item mandated an enhanced pat-down. The enhanced pat-down involved the TSA officer touching her breasts and then asking "what is this?" This happened in North Carolina, or at least was reported in North Carolina.

When Bossi responded that "it is a prosthetic breast", the TSA officer demanded to see it. Seriously, does the TSA have a prosthetic fetish or does the TSA truly consider that prosthetic breasts are the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) of the future? Imagine the future here for a moment; have we really progressed to a point where "Show me your breasts" or other body parts is a legitimate question in order to board an aircraft? Have we really reached a point where it will be quicker to take your prosthetics out or off and ship them to your destination rather than try and board an aircraft with them?

In any event, be aware, according to the TSA, they have the right to inspect prosthetic devices. The TSA are not allowed to ask you to remove them, but they are entitled to physically inspect them. I wonder if passengers with silicone implants will be required to remove them before boarding an aircraft? Or if the silicone gel is greater than 100ml whether they will have to bag and tag the implants or ship them in their baggage?

To be sure, I am happy that the relative authorities are taking security seriously. But, even for the die-hards who think that just about any intrusion for the purposes of safety and security is warranted might be starting to re-think their position.

Can anyone else imagine a time where we will get right back to how things were before self-conscious morality took over and we started wearing clothes? Are we all that far away from a time where people will be required to board public transport in the nude in order to ensure that no one is hiding a bomb in their underpants? I guess naked travel only leaves cavity searches!

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport -- Puntuality...

Good News!

Here is one that will have many scratching their heads and thinking, "No way!" However, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has scored second place in the annual forbestraveler.com survey of the most on-time international airports. Now, if the management of the place could only get there services and facilities in order the place would be world class in almost every respect.

Soekarno-Hatta ranked between two Japanese powerhouses; Haneda and Narita. The second place ranking marks a jump from the previous year's placing of sixth.

This is something to be proud of for all Indonesians, if for no other reason as most transportation related news about Indonesia usually involves accidents and fatalities.

X-Ray Scanners, Naked Images, Child Porn, and Airports...

Manchester Airport is trialling an X-ray machine that is being used to scan passengers before they enter the departure lounge of the airport. The scan takes a few seconds and are expected to do away with the need for a physical frisk of the traveler as they go through security checkpoints. There would apparently be no need to empty your pockets as the scanner would identify all and sundry in your pockets or take off your shoes.

It seems that the scanners can do a little bit more than that, as they will also identify any implants a traveler has. So, anyone with breast implants or a little uplift in the buttocks area will find themselves subject to a few smiles no doubt from knowledgeable scanner operators.

However, in an interesting twist, some child advocacy groups have wondered out loud whether the "naked images" that these scanners are capable of, violate child pornography laws. Airport authorities are saying that they do not, and in any event the images are immediately destroyed if there is no reason for them to be saved. Although, faces and skin color might not be identifiable in the scans, the genitals are clearly outlined in the x-ray scans.

The outlines of a child's genitals would seemingly be a violation of most child protection laws throughout the world. These laws, generally, make it an offense to show or make and indecent image of a child. The outline of a child's genitals would conceivably, and arguably, be an indecent image. The UK child protection statute even includes the term "pseudo-photograph" which a scanner image arguably is.

This story will undoubtedly continue to develop as the legal issues are further explored.

New Passenger Fees at Soekarno-Hatta Airport?

The Tangerang Municipal Council is drafting a piece of legislation that will enable it to levy and collect retribution (fees) from passengers departing from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The terminal that will be affected by this is Terminal II. Terminal II is physically located within the Tangerang Municipality.

Funnily enough, the Council is calling the proposed fee, a donation. However, it is not likely to be a voluntary. Simply, if it was voluntary, then who would pay it. The collection of the Tangerang Municipal fee will occur at the same time as the departing passenger pays their regular departure tax.

The Council has yet to decide how much the fee will be. The fee can be up to 10% of the prevailing airport departure tax. My guess would be that the fee will be the maximum permissible.

This means that the fee is likely to be either IDR 2,500 and IDR 5,000 depending on whether you are departing on a domestic or international flight.

This is probably the first step in a more concerted effort by the Council to collect revenue that it is entitled to do under Indonesia's regional autonomy laws.

Privacy -- The Virtual Strip Search

The privacy theme is one that resonates in all manner of places and in a large number of countries. Australia is currently trialling body scanning technology at a small number of airports with a view to providing enhanced security for flights.

I have written on this previously here. The privacy issues here are that the technology does not have the ability to blur the genitals of the people that it screens. More accurately, it does have the ability to blur the genitals but the powers that be have decided not to. So, in essence the person sitting behind the monitor will be viewing you in all your glory. I wonder if they are taking volunteers for these screening positions.

The picture leaves very little to the imagination. It is worth noting that in this picture I can make out what appears to be bones in the lower legs and the knees of the person being screened. The idea is that the x-rays used are at the lower end of the spectrum and would require up to 10,000 screens before you would be in danger of excessive radiation exposure.

So, if you are a domestic traveller leaving Melbourne Airport over the next six weeks you may well be asked to test new x-ray scanners and not only be exposed to the x-rays but be exposed in other ways too.

The new X-ray backscatter body scanner has been described by some critics as a "virtual strip search". Looking at the image above you can see why. The trialling authorities have made it clear that they are not going to blur the images of the genitals. However, the technology has been set up so that faces are automatically blurred.

The blurring of the faces is an attempt to try and avoid claims that the technology violates privacy. Probably more important is that there are very explicit regulations in place with respect to the storage and access to any images that are saved. Even with faces blurred, the mere thought of these images appearing online in some porn site would bother many people.

The current procedures are that once a person walks through the scanner and they are clear of any nasty stuff like explosives, the screener presses a button and the image is automatically deleted. Sounds fair enough assuming that the screener is deleting the images.

Happy traveling!

Virtual Strip Search

It was only a matter of time before Australian airports started to trial virtual strip search technology. The virtual strip search is a low strength x-ray machine that can see under one's clothes.

The picture (courtesy of AP) shows what the image is supposed to look like. I do not know enough about the technology but I wonder if the strength of the x-ray is upped a little bit do you get to see more of the traveller than either the scanner or the traveller bargained for?

The two extremes on this technology are:

* those that say the technology is necessary to screen for explosives and other weapons; and
* those that say this technology is nothing more than an invasion of privacy.

Nevertheless, the question is one that should be asking how much are travellers prepared to give up in order that they travel without fear of people bringing explosives and other weapons on to a flight?

The NSW Council for Civil Liberties main complaint is that the images could be highly embarrassing for travellers as it shows in reasonable detail their body shape. The Council is also worried that this will become the norm. Currently, strip searches are not required to board an aircraft so why should a virtual strip search be mandatory?

This is a trial so the emphasis is on travellers opting in to try the new technology. Travellers not into being stripped searched virtually can opt to go through regular scanning procedures. My guess is that the trial lines will always be shorter.

So, if you are in a hurry it is certainly going to be decision time. I do not carry explosives or other weapons when I am walking around the place and definitely do not carry them onto planes. I know I am an ugly bastard so I am more likely to ruin the virtual strip searchers day rather than provide them with any form of amusement or heaven forbid, arousal.

There will be strict rules in place about the storing of images and it is unlikely that the images are to be stored. There would be no valid reason to store images that did not show someone trying to smuggle something illegal on board.

Besides if these images were to find their way onto the Internet or into the public domain, then there would be claims galore for the invasion of privacy. It should be noted that the faces of the scanned individuals are to be blurred. However, it should also be noted that there is software available to "unblur" these faces (or at least this is what I am told).

The word is that the low dose of radiation associated with the scan is harmless. It is said that to get anywhere near the maximum permissible level of radiation exposure would require upwards of 10,000 scans. This would make you a very frequent traveller.

The technology is to be trialled in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. I won't be home anytime soon, so I guess I will have to wait until they start trialling it here in Indonesia.