Europe Bans Airport Body Scanners For “Health and Safety” Concerns

Here’s a big news breaking from the European Union, Forbes and The Economist.

And it’s to do with Nude-o-scopes – or Backscatter/Millimetre Wave Scanners. And to be blunt – the European Union is not happy about them in the least.

The big line from the release it is this:

In order not to risk jeopardising citizens’ health and safety, only security scanners which do not use X-ray technology are added to the list of authorised methods for passenger screening at EU airports. All other technologies, such as that used for mobiles phones and others, can be used provided that they comply with EU security standards.

In addition, new rights are imposed. These are:

• Security scanners shall not store, retain, copy, print or retrieve images;
• Any unauthorised access and use of the image is prohibited and shall be prevented;
• The human reviewer analysing the image shall be in a separate location and the image shall not be linked to the screened person and others.
• Passengers must be informed about conditions under which the security scanner control takes place.
• Passengers are given the right to opt out from a control with scanners and be subject to an alternative method of screening.

Currently, the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy have deployed scanners, and for some countries, if you are referred to a scanner, if you choose NOT to be scanned, you would not be allowed to pass.  The rules above change this aspect

Vice-President Siim Kallas, Commissioner responsible for transport, said:

“Security scanners are not a panacea but they do offer a real possibility to reinforce passenger security. Security scanners are a valuable alternative to existing screening methods and are very efficient in detecting both metallic and non-metallic objects. It is still for each Member State or airport to decide whether or not to deploy security scanners, but these new rules ensure that where this new technology is used it will be covered by EU wide standards on detection capability as well as strict safeguards to protect health and fundamental rights. Experience to date shows that passengers and staff generally see security scanners as a convenient method of screening.”

This is going to irk a lot of goverments who see these scanners as the universal soultion of security screening. In addition protocols are going to have to be changed and examined.

I’d also expect denials of anything wrong by the TSA and the TSA apologist brigade as well as governments.