Why not integrate scanners into airport walls and quietly scan everyone passing by?

[Sacrilege]

Why not integrate backscatter scanners into airport walls, and have everyone pass by them without even knowing?

My understanding is you are not guaranteed privacy in a public place. And certainly court decisions have established the legality of extra invasive searches when people enter into an enclosed, "extra vulnerable" area (used to justify bag searches before boarding subways).

If people opposed to the scan are non the wiser they are being scanned, many of our problems in airports would be solved. The radiation received from these machines is minuscule compared to a chest x-ray, and even exceeded by the cosmic radiation the fliers receive when at high altitude.

I'm not advocating putting these scanners clandestinely into subway and rail stations, tunnels, bridges, building lobbies, roving vans.... yet. But why not use all tools at our disposal to make the terrorists' preferred target a little safer?

 

[CallMeJoe]

Anyone working in the airport would be subjected to a significantly higher cumulative radiation exposure.

What's the point of making a largely symbolic show of "Security" if no one knows about it? How is anyone supposed to feel safer if they're not being subjected to invasive inspection?

 

[boomerang]

Because the workers at the airport don't want to be exposed to the radiation on a daily basis - even though it's...so safe.

 

[Bowfinger]

Shh. You're not supposed to know about that.

 

[rudder]

People want to know when they are being irradiated.

 

[nonlnear]

Also interpreting the images is a lot harder when the scannees haven't been "standardized" by removing all metal objects, etc. Currently the manpower required to interpret the images would be staggering.

This isn't actually a very bad idea in principle, but the real solution is much less intrusive, requires no unusual radiation, and it'll probably be coming within less than 10 years. I'm talking about plain old video (and possibly IR and UV) cameras set up everywhere, tracking every individual's movements and feeding them into software to detect unusual stress levels, unusual levels of situational awareness (from eye movements, etc.), heart rate, or other subtle patterns. Such technology isn't that far off, and it doesn't require all the hassle of radiation transmission techniques.

 

[nick1985]

Why not just force everyone to take off their clothes and subject themselves to a full cavity search?

:thumbsup:

 

[Scotteq]

Why bother with flying at all when there are alternatives?? GREAT timing on Cisco's part, I should think.

 

[PokerGuy]

Yeah, getting irradiated on a daily basis is a wonderful idea. That, and I'm sure it's very easy to scan and check people walking by quickly, with suitcases and lots of equipment etc, and pick up anything that could be a threat. Do you people not think?

 

[dank69]

Why not install security cameras in all women's dressing rooms in stores?

 

[Fern]

Somebody's been watching Total Recall?

Fern

 

[PingSpike]

Somebody's been watching Total Recall?

Fern

Even in total recall the invasive searching system didn't stop Arnold from smuggling an explosive robotic mask onto an interplanetary flight!

 

[ayabe]

Even in total recall the invasive searching system didn't stop Arnold from smuggling an explosive robotic mask onto an interplanetary flight!

Two weeks?

Pretty much the worst idea ever OP.

Here's an idea, let's start screening the baggage handlers, cleaners, fuelers and everyone else who gets access to the planes without any sort of supervision and only yearly or very cursory screening.

That's where the next attack will be initiated.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

I have an idea. Let's give everyone a barcode or RFID chip. That way we can track them wherever they go. Fuck the Constitution. Everyone is guilty of something right?

 

[Scotteq]

I have an idea. Let's give everyone a barcode or RFID chip. That way we can track them wherever they go. Fuck the Constitution. Everyone is guilty of something right?

Sure: The day they weave the hairs around my a$$hole into a bar code.

 

[Fern]

Somebody's been watching Total Recall?

Fern

Even in total recall the invasive searching system didn't stop Arnold from smuggling an explosive robotic mask onto an interplanetary flight!

New TSA policy - Everyone must remove their shoes AND heads before boarding.

Fern

 

[Lizardman]

Look no genitals show up!