TSA to remove controversial X-ray scanners

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration confirms that it is getting rid of airport body scanners that produce a naked image of travelers.

Right now the TSA uses two types of scanners. One makes a generic image showing where agents should look for an object on the traveler’s body. Those scanners are staying.

The other kind of scanner uses X-rays. They raised privacy concerns because they show metal objects on the traveler’s body — along with every other detail, too. Congress has mandated that those scanners be changed or removed by June.

TSA says the X-ray scanners will be gone by June. It says the company that makes them, Rapiscan, was not able to come up with a software fix to make the scanners comply with the Congressional mandate.

Comments

1) Comment by foldgers - 18/01/2013

If I read another article correctly, this was just a waste of $80 million! I wonder how many other programs, BESIDES social security and Medicare are just as wasteful. But hey, it was ONLY $80 million. Not like that contributed to the trillions in debt we are in now, right? There is my favorite scene in the movie, "Dave." The "president" is in a meeting and needed to come up with millions of dollars in the budget to keep a childrens' shelter open. Well, he went through all the books and found it, cutting such programs that spent money to ensure that people were happy about a new car they bought in America. He asked the politician who wanted to keep it a simple question, "Do you want to tell a child he can't have a roof over his head because you want to make sure someone is happy about a brand new car they just bought?" I would love to just spend 1 week going over these programs. A billion here, few hundred million there, I know I can find at least a trillion in savings in a week and no one would notice the cuts.