Thursday, May 10, 2012

Privacy Please

This is my response to the post a few days ago about airport security...privacy people. I recently refused to go through one of these full scanners and although it was a nuisance, I think it was worth it. What do you guys think? 

4 comments:

SimoneJacobs said...

I disagree with the belief that these scanners are overly intrusive. These scanners are the best possible method to detect concealed weaponry and ensure security. Yes, the machine lets strangers pretty much look at you naked, but its not as though those images are going to be seen by the public. I think that any embarrassment caused by these machines is countered by the safety benefits. I have been through one of these scanners and had absolutely no problem with it. Terrorism is a very real threat, and airports are a serious security threat.

Brynn said...

I understand the immense threat of terrorism, but there has to be a better way of maintaining safety than this. I have a right to say that I do not want anyone- even an airport security guard- to see that detailed of a photo of me. We need to find a line between safety and privacy, and this is not the solution.

ReikoHuffman said...

Both of the previous posts have good points. Privacy or security? Both are immensely important to Americans and many people have good reasons to want one over the other. However, despite the controversy I lean more to the side of security. Especially when it comes to airports I would rather have a detailed picture of me scene by a security guard than accidentally have some man with a bomb sneak onto the plane. Yes, security has become quite overkill since 9/11, but the reasons are primarily for safety. The only thing to make sure about is when security starts to invade the privacy of our personal lives.

Adrianne Seiden said...

I have two problems with these: first off sometimes, airport security gets so backed up that it seems like it would be pretty efficient to just detonate a bomb in line. Second, since on the image the background is black, and metal objects show up as black, someone could get a weapon past the body scanner strapped to his/her side if he/she stands still enough. This:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSS271wU_5c
There is a bit of a dilemma here, because adding more security to make up for the (few) shortcomings of the body scanners will just lead to a larger crowd in the pre-security area (and a longer wait)