© Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Security at the planet’s busiest airport is now higher tech, and, some would argue, more personal. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has installed millimeter wave gear at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) capable of “detect[ing] weapons, explosives, and other threat items concealed under layers of clothing without physical contact.”
Millimeter wave is better known as “whole body imaging,” and it has been controversial. That’s because it doesn’t leave a whole lot to the imagination of screeners looking for secreted contraband. To ease angst for flyers, TSA officers view the image from a remote location. What TSA calls “a security algorithm” is used to blur the faces of flyers. The agency insists images are not stored, printed, or transmitted and that they’re “deleted forever” once a passenger is cleared.
TSA says the Atlanta whole body imaging will be used in what it calls “a random continuous protocol,” and that you don’t have to submit to it if you’re chosen for secondary screening. Instead, you can choose a pat-down. Whole body imaging is an alternative to a hands-on search, something to which many folks object.
Is the system safe? TSA contends so, labeling the electromagnetic waves “harmless” and “10,000 times less than a cell phone.”
Whole body imaging is already out there at 16 airports nationwide. More will get it soon.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
