New TSA Screening Equipment Awaits Privacy Filter

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been testing a new body scanner system to screen passengers at U.S. airports, and they're now awaiting a privacy filter.

The new screening system was part of TSA’s aim to speed up screening at airports, but it lacked the privacy filters needed for visual images. The machine which is called TAC, is a “people-screening camera that sees any type of item—including metal, plastic, ceramic, gel, liquid, powder and paper—hidden in peoples’ clothing at distances of 3 to 10m,” or 10 to 32 feet.

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A Thruvision representative explained to TravelPulse that the full-body scanners create a "green ghost" image with black sections signaling a potential threat. They do not show genitalia, breasts, or buttocks. The images are created by Terahertz technology that highlights when an object is blocking the body's natural wave pattern

The TSA has spent $662,840 on the system and the privacy filter is going to cost an additional $250,000.

The manufacturer, ThruVision Inc. of Ashburn, Virginia, is said to be working on an “enhanced privacy software,” which is required by the TSA for all people-scanning technologies due to federal legislation that helps to prevent privacy violations.

The TSA has had privacy issues in the past with their screening equipment. From 2007 to 2013, it was discovered that the TSA scanners were a “virtual strip search” that shared pictures of passengers' genitalia, breasts, and buttocks with TSA employees. ACLU and the Electronic Privacy Information Center sued the TSA over these machines, and thanks to public outcry, the machines were replaced with less-intrusive scanners and privacy filters must now be used on all scanners.