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Naked City Comes to Life in Phoenix Airport

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

March 19, 2007

Airport Security • TSA Suspends "Clear" Program After Laptop Theft • TSA's Air Cargo Plans Questioned • TSA Stops ShoeScanner In Its Tracks • New Controversy Dogs TSA Chief • TSA Worries About Terrorist 'Rehearsals' • "Registered Traveler" Expands to More Airports • Lighters, Breast Milk Get TSA's OK • JFK Airport Plot Renews Calls for Worker Screening • Future Security Could Feature Facial Photos • Bush May Veto Airport Screening Machines • Competition Comes to Registered Traveler Services • TSA Dragnet Aims to Block Potential Threats • Screening the Screeners Isn't Enough to Ensure Airport Security • Naked City Comes to Life in Phoenix Airport • TSA Adds Security Checks for Airport Employees

The new SmartCheck scanner at Phoenix airport security could be called NudeCheck. It sees through the clothes of anyone who passes through it.

The new machine is the latest gizmo from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the much-maligned service charged with maintaining and improving airport security.

So far, it's in use only at Phoenix Sky Harbor, where it's ticketed for a 90-day test run at a single terminal. If successful, it will be deployed in other large cities, including New York and Los Angeles

Exactly what determines success is subject to conjecture.

The machine's ability to duplicate Superman's X-ray vision makes it controversial, at best.

The TSA insists the so-called backscatter machine has been configured only to reveal a muted image that resembles a line drawing rather than a Playboy foldout. Unsure passengers don't have to try it -- the device is a backup for those who fail standard metal-detector screening. Even then, passengers can opt for a pat-down rather than SmartCheck.

Passing through the new machine takes only a minute, though passengers are asked to stand in front of the unit with palms facing out and then turn around so that their image can be seen from the rear (not always the most flattering area of the body).

The idea is to find hidden weapons, such as guns or knives, and not to find the next Miss October.

Although the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is already complaining that the new device is equivalent to a strip-search, the TSA insists it shows only contours rather than details.

But critics still suggest it creates a 21st-century version of the old TV show Naked City.

Three months from now, if the machine passes its test at the largest Phoenix terminal, SmartCheck technology will show up at LAX and John F. Kennedy International. Big shots on both coasts should have plenty to say on the subject.

Stay tuned.

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