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Comment by afiedler | Hacker News Reader

The TSA doesn't use backscatter x-ray machines any more. They were all removed because the company that makes them (Rapiscan) couldn't figure out a way to mask the naked images.

Now they just use millimeter wave machines, which have the body outlines only. I really don't find this objectionable from a privacy standpoint. It it basically a better metal detector in that it detects non-metal objects, too, and shows the scanner exactly where they are on the body.

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Fun story: Last time I flew, the scanner detected the surgical plate in my right shoulder. The TSA agent saw the diagram and put his hand on my left shoulder before letting me walk.

In October, I also triggered the machine for having a suspicious back.

The cause? I was in Hawaii, wearing a backpack. If you didn't know, their airports are mostly open-air. Of course, Hawaii is pretty warm and it was humid, so I was sweaty on my shoulders where the straps were.

Win for security (theater).

I once went to the SLC airport with slightly damp braided hair. I went through the scanner. A TSA agent pulled me aside for a patdown. She did it quickly, sighed with relief, and said, "Oh, it's just your hair. It showed up on the scanner as a weapon."

Now they just use millimeter wave machines, which have the body outlines only.

Do you have a source for this? And have all US airports upgraded to this "body outlines only" technology?

That was the official reason. Though, backscatter x-ray machines were decommissioned in the US shortly after the EU banned their use due to public health reasons.

So they are using microwaves. Do you know what GHz they are using and wha benchmark is a safe level?

"...A millimeter wave scanner is a whole-body imaging device used for detecting objects concealed underneath a person’s clothing using a form of electromagnetic radiation. ..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millimeter_wave_scanner

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