New Body Scanners at Heathrow

27/01/2010

Heathrow To Test Body Scanners

Passengers will have no choice whatsoever about going through the new body scanners at Heathrow airport, which are due to be installed next week, ministers have confirmed.

The controversial machines are being given the go ahead despite warnings from the equality and human rights commission that the devices which capture pictures of naked bodies could be violating passengers human rights

Transport Minister Paul Clark informed parliamentarians that airport security officials will randomly select passengers who would be scanned by the machines. Later this year, new sets of scanners that could identify liquid-based explosives will be introduced at airports as well.

Airport security officials will select individuals at random to be scanned by the new devices, also more advanced scanners that can spot liquids will be introduced later in the year

The scanners will be tested at Heathrow next week which will use two types of technology the first uses backscatter which is in operation at Manchester airport and uses x-rays, the second uses a millimeter wave system which produces a 3d image of the individual.

Both of which have brought major privacy worries as the scanners capture naked pictures, however airport officials claim the pictures are not save and are only viewed by one person