Nov 12, 2010

Report: Backlash over TSA naked strip searches;

From a report at the link below:

Two months ago, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the federal stimulus legislation would pay for the purchase of hundreds of controversial full-body scanners.

Janet Napolitano, shown in the photo at right, seems to be reacting to the screening backlash.

"Through the Recovery Act, we are able to continue our accelerated deployment of enhanced technology as part of our layered approach to security at airports nationwide," Napolitano said at the time.

The number of scanners has doubled since that Napolitano announcement and are now found in 68 U.S. airports.

The Transportation Security Administration says the controversial devices have proven to be a success.

"We have received minimal complaints," a TSA spokeswoman told CNET yesterday. She said that the agency, part of DHS, keeps track of air traveler complaints and has not seen a significant rise.

Not an increase in air traveler complaints? Really?

A growing number of airline passengers, labor unions, and advocacy groups, however, say the new procedures--a choice of full-body scans or what the TSA delicately calls "enhanced patdowns"--go too far.

They were implemented without much fanfare in late October, amid lingering questions about whether travelers are always offered a choice of manual screening.

The "enhanced patdowns" mentioned above are called "groping" by some.

Link



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