[privacy] UK Considers Deploying X-Ray Scanners on Street to Search Pedestrians

[Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah]

From:           	"Fergie" <fergdawg at netzero.net>
Date sent:      	Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:35:29 GMT

> X-ray cameras that would "undress" passers-by in a bid to thwart terrorists
> concealing weapons, could be coming to a street near you, according to reports.
> Aside from the obvious privacy issues, would such a plan work?

Ooh!  Ooh!  Me!  Pick me!  I know!

The correct answer is "no."

The more extended answer is "are you out of your mind?"

> Leaked documents said to have been drawn up by the Home Office and seen by
> the Sun newspaper say cameras which can see through clothes could be built
> into lamp posts to "trap terror suspects".

As the article pointed out, while the tech exists, and can undoubtedly be developed 
further, the manpower costs alone in chasing down (a certainly extremely high 
rate of) false positives would pretty much preclude you from doing anything else.

> Within seconds, an X-ray scanner produces an image of the body, minus the
> clothes. What shows up is the naked human form

"Naked human form" is roughly correct, but a look at the pictures, and others as 
the technology has developed, will immediately dispell any ideas of salacious 
materials.  (Come on, admit, you were *all* thinking it!  :-)

> and anything that may be
> concealed on the person, such as coins, a gun or drugs.

OK, let's consider the case of your average student, in winter, carrying a backpack. 
 How does it do with heavy coats?  What do heavy buttons and zippers look like 
on the image?  I'm carrying glasses, two pens, a diary, cell phone, digital camera, 
extra battery, fat wallet (lots of cards and papers, very little money, worse luck), a 
few pounds of change (weight, not value), pocket knife, and watch.  Then there's 
the contents of the backpack ...


Actually, what I find most disturbing about the article is the pooling of ignorance 
in the comments to it ...

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                             - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), Metaphysics
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