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Hardware 2.0

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images

By | November 16, 2010, 12:38pm PST

Summary: Whether you’re pro these scanners or not (and putting the potential health risks aside), the idea that images can be stored on them for later viewing is disturbing. If the mechanism is there to save an image, then it’ll be used, and even if that mechanism doesn’t exist, it’s not hard to record an image that’s displayed on a screen using a camera.

This is very shocking stuff:

At the heart of the controversy over “body scanners” is a promise: The images of our naked bodies will never be public. U.S. Marshals in a Florida Federal courthouse saved 35,000 images on their scanner. These are those images.

A Gizmodo investigation has revealed 100 of the photographs saved by the Gen 2 millimeter wave scanner from Brijot Imaging Systems, Inc., obtained by a FOIA request after it was recently revealed that U.S. Marshals operating the machine in the Orlando, Florida courthouse had improperly-perhaps illegally-saved images of the scans of public servants and private citizens.

So much for not being able to store, print, transmit or save the image. If you believe that, you’ll believe anything … idiots.

Here’s an example of the images stored:

Note: Notice in the above image how the scanner manages to scan the guy in the background - how much energy are these scanners giving off?

it’s worth noting that the gen-2 millimeter wave scanner doesn’t output as detailed an image of the human body as the scanners currently in used at airports. For comparison, the image below shows the sort of output from a typical airport scanner.

Whether you’re pro these scanners or not (and putting the potential health risks aside), the idea that images can be stored on them for later viewing is disturbing. If the mechanism is there to save an image, then it’ll be used, and even if that mechanism doesn’t exist, it’s not hard to record an image that’s displayed on a screen using a camera.

Additional thoughts on the TSA’s screening process on Lawgarithms by my colleague Denise Howell.

How happy are you to use these scanners? What about your significant other? Children?

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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
FAULKNE 13th Oct
Good day to confirm this comment I would appreciate T h e b e s t o f Z D N e t d e l i v e r e d your website very nice to everyone Yes, Oracle is the only one with shared-disk architecture, but that is there advantage. It means you can add or remove nodes and the database lives on. In a shared nothing architecture, if you lose a node, you lose the system. I'm sure Oracle appreciates EMC highlighting their advantage.I also desire to signal in your RSS feeds. Thank you as soon as once again and maintain up the great operate Awesome post! Thank you very much || thanks for nice content this is really benefit to me.
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The image on the left is OBVIOUSLY different from the other two on the right. Where is the journalistic integrity? What's the point of those images? Clearly they cannot prove that what we see in the two images on the right are a direct result of the person on the left being scanned.
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Contributr
RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes 16th Nov 2010
@pmas1998@... yeah, that image is "illustrative" in that the photo and the scan weren't done at the same time. Still, you can tell that the clothing is the same (notice the wrinking of the jeans).

That said, if a TSA agent couldn't spot that gun down the back of the woman's jeans then shesh ...
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It's not the power their giving off
Ron Bergundy 16th Nov 2010
it the level of power they can detect.
A radio telescope doesn't give off any power, yet it detects the amount of radio waves given off of an object so thats probally how the scanner can "see" the person in the distance.
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@Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

"That said, if a TSA agent couldn't spot that gun down the back of the woman's jeans then shesh ... "

How did you ever get a job writing anything for any company?
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@Adrian Kingsley-Hughes I agree with Raid6. Your comment is just sad. Do that job for a week then come back and tell me how you feel about it.
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@Adrian Kingsley-Hughes : then , don't fly to the U.S. if you hate that so much. Stay in the U.K. watching Monty Python
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@pmas1998@...

You are correct regarding those images. I do a fair bit of travelling for work and I have been following all the complaints about the full body scanners very closely. While the actual images from the machines are quite revealing, the image above of the young lady is NOT an image from one of them. That image, which has been seen elsewhere on the web, is nothing but an inverted standard high-resolution photograph of a naked woman that has been doctored to add the outline of clothing and the firearm and cell phone.

Anyone interested in the website that disproved it can probably find it via a simple google image search.

As to the author of this article, you should really check your sources before posting fabricated images like that.
@jeff92k7 - SO WHAT!!! Its distractors like you is why nothing EVER changes, the whiney and stupid make up 10 million lame excuses to not listen to reality and get in the way of people trying to change things. Just shut up.
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@jeff92k7 For illustration purposes but where was the author to obtain illegal pictures? You think the editor would ever assume such liability as having illegal pictures in their possession?

Come on now1
@pmas1998@... We were told over and over the images would not be saved...and yet they were. If we can't believe the US Marshals on that, why should we believe them on anything else?

On a side note, just where did that girl have that gun shoved?
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
nickdangerthirdi@... 17th Nov 2010
@cornpie why would you ever believe ANYTHING the government tells you? They are only going to tell you what you want to hear, thats the way its always been. I am not saying everything the gov says is a lie, but I guarantee you that most of it is only half truths. I am not the least bit surprised by this, any digital image or any image at all for that matter, has the ability to be copied or saved, even with something as simple as a camera on your phone.
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Hope you felt the same about GW
doctordawg 18th Nov 2010
@cornpie as Obama. The TSA is ALL Bush, and these machines are ALL Chertoff.
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@pmas1998@... The supposeded "body scan" of the image of a woman is an old pic making the rounds and has already been proved to be photoshopped using a negative image and is not illustrative of anything coming out of the modern body scanners. journalistic integrity indeed!
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
Loverock Davidson 16th Nov 2010
I haven't had the chance to go through one of these yet but pretty sure when the time comes I'd rather get the extensive pat down. They will always have the ability to save the images. As soon as some schmuck tries to go through one with a gun or grenade, that picture is going to be saved and sent to all the authorities and slipped to the media as well. You do make a good point about just how much radiation is shooting out of that. Its not just inside, but what is leaking out.
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Metal detectors detect guns and grenades
doctordawg 18th Nov 2010
@Loverock Davidson No radiation scanner necessary. Broken wine bottles in First Class make excellent sharp weapons, so bad guys don't need to bring a hidden shank. This is all theater. Nothing more. Chertoff is getting rich while we all pay.
then your going to be mad that the government didn't force everyone to walk thru the body imager. and if you live you'll probally try to sue the government for not using the scanners!!
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@cyberspammer The day a lunatic pulls a gun out on the airplane is the day I may die to save my family. Airplane or street makes no difference. I will not be subject to that villany. Luckily I live in a state that supports my 2nd amendment rights and I exercise those rights every day. I only wish I could do the same with air travel.

Depending on others for the safety of myself and my family is the among the worst ideas I've heard. I teach my family how to take action to protect themselves regardless of the circumstances. That way they at least have a chance at not waiting around for law enforcement to come and write a report about what has already transpired.
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@trent1
When seconds matter, the police are just minutes away.
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
technology@... 18th Nov 2010
@trent1 Have you ever been accosted? If someone pulls a gun on you, they have the offensive advantage. You don't know what they might do, but they have a reasonable assessment of your likely responses. Any suspicious move you make, such as reach for your gun, is likely to speed up your demise.

How many times have you had the opportunity to stop a crime with your gun? Given the number of people in a given area and the number of fire-arm related crimes per capita, it seems very unlikely you will ever encounter the opportunity to be a hero, much less the chance to defend yourself in a surprise attack. In fact, how many times has anyone been able to use their gun to prevent such an incident?

I'm not against gun ownership, but everyone is a law-abiding citizen until they break the law. Even cops with all their training and experience with assessing tense situations, make fatal mistakes.
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@trent1
you think you should be able to bring a gun on a plane!!! Doesn?t my right to LIFE trump your second amendment rights? We don?t need scanners because YOU are going to save us!! Ha ha. Once you start yakking like that you become one of them and not one of us.. sane sensible Americans who want to find the right mix to be as safe as possible without giving up to much liberties
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The problem with this thinking is...
snberk341 Updated - 22nd Nov 2010
@trent1
... the number of times that a "citizen" uses a gun to stop crime is, depending on where you are in the US, is about 10% of the times a gun used on the street (excluding range use, target practice, etc). On the other hand, about 50% of the time a gun is used, it is to kill a spouse during a domestic dispute (usually the husband killing the wife, 'cause she can't get at the locked gun to defend herself). Then about 25% of the time it's to kill another family member, or close friend during an argument. Then about 12% of the time it's to kill an acquaintance (hunting accidents, etc). And then finally, at the bottom of the list.... it is criminals shot by a homeowner. The stats are out there, and verifiable...
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
nomorebs Updated - 22nd Nov 2010
@snberk341: a gun is used ... usually [by] the husband killing the wife. I am not sure, but according to Wikipedia quoting a government report, "Women are far more likely to use weapons in their domestic violence, whether throwing a plate or firing a gun." I couldn't find that exact statistic in the quoted PDF, but couldn't find that it's mostly men who kill women with a gun either (though I skimmed rather than reading thoroughly). Note that I'm not defending one side or the other, but your comment aroused my curiosity. Where did you get such statistic?
@cyberspammer - the tsa is without a doubt a collection of the dumbest losers on the planet. I haven't see a single on of them with an IQ over about 76. 1 point over a retard.
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@Reality Bites I wonder if they can spell "one"?
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@Reality Bites
Ironically, these people are what we can afford to hire based on taxes and airport fees. You want more intelligent agents then it will cost a lot more. I do agree with you, just pointing out one reason for cretins in TSA.
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
nickdangerthirdi@... 17th Nov 2010
@Reality Bites ok thats just funny, and remember, we need the mentally challenged to be a part of society, so it seems fitting we give them the impossible task of keeping our airplanes safe. I mean really now, the 9/11 did it with box knives, whats going to stop someone from making a plastic shiv, that probably wont show up in any of these scans, I think the whole thing is stupid, you can't tune a fish, and you cant keep all of the people safe all of the time...
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@Reality Bites
It is probably what they get paid (McDonald wages)
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@Reality Bites and any one who makes sweeping generalizations is at least 10 points below.
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I'd rather...
Zorched 17th Nov 2010
@cyberspammer ...risk my life and be free than hand over those freedoms to paranoid and scared people and power hungry government.
If it takes me dying while I beat the living feces out of a terrorist, then so be it. Our soldiers risk their lives every day for our freedoms. My father did as well on Normandy. If that's what it takes to prove to those animals that we won't back down, then bring it on.

We live in a society that is too spoiled with its pacifism against a foe that believes there's glory in taking as many of us with him as possible. You don't rationalize with those type of people. Like Rabid Dogs, you put them down. It may sound evil, but these are the people that will knife you in the back as you try to pacify them with love (turn the other cheek). I'm not saying this is Islam in general, but it is with their radicals.
If we had the spineless "It costs too much" attitude in WWII that we have today we'd be speaking Japanese and German right now.
All we have now is a Police State thinly veiled by the illusion of freedom.
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
technology@... 18th Nov 2010
@Zorched We do not live in a police state. Police states are very different and much much worse than what we have here in the US. To paraphrase Thomas Paine, government is a necessary evil, but "necessary" is an operative word. He notes that civilized society cannot function without government. The greater the population, the more constraints on "freedom" to do whatever you want. The only way you can be truly free from the constraints of "government" is to live in complete isolation from all other humans. If you want to enjoy the fruits of civilization, you have to give up some freedom. Letting everyone defend themselves with weapons just leads to a tyranny of those with the most guns and the willingness to use them--another term for strong-arm dictatorship.
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@Zorched from skin cancer from a backscatter x-ray machine than from a terrorist attack on a plane. Does that make sense to you?
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
technology@... 18th Nov 2010
@Zorched Further, the citizens of Iraq had the right to bear arms, just no fair trials, no freedom of speech, no freedom to associate with whomever they will. But the citizens were armed with their own weapons when we invaded. Gun ownership was quite widespread in Iraq before the US invasion. If you have a sufficiently powerful military and a well-oiled propaganda machine, you can keep your population under control. Most people don't want trouble and will do as you ask. If someone threatens your power, you just kill their family or their whole town if need be. That's how Saddam Hussein did it and how most dictatorships do it.
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Guns are detected by metal detectors
doctordawg 18th Nov 2010
@cyberspammer Metal detectors are not carcinogenic or intrusive, so your "scanner" argument is pure paranoia. PS: a thousand dollar beagle works better than a million dollar machine at detecting bombs.
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@cyberspammer
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since 1973
Thom d 18th Nov 2010
It has been 37 years since " a terrorist or lunitic pulls out a gun"
Even without some super expensive, complete with kickbacks, constitution-eroding, and wildly ineffective X-Ray camera that will end up putting millions of images on adult web sites by accident within three years, without increasing our security one iota, and while eroding our security by distracting already-overworked TSA agents.

@cyberspammer
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
BlueCollarCritic 19th Nov 2010
@cyberspammer "Until the day a terrorist or lunitic pulls a gun out on board your plane"

I would say Nice TYry but its not. The masses are no longer drinking this kind of koolaid you are serving. Either you are a fool who would seel tehir freedom and liberty for the slightest promise of possible protection (non-guaranteed of course) or your part of the pro-TSA / pro-Big Governement group of trolls trying to counter post about this all over the internet.

Either way we're not buying it!

You FAIL!
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
ExposerOfIdiots 20th Nov 2010
@cyberspammer You idiot, metal detectors would catch a gun.
are probally the terrorist themselves.
Everybody says they hate terrorist but it seems that those same people go out of their way to help them any way they can -
Stupid!!
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Whatever
John Zern 16th Nov 2010
@cyberspammer
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@cyberspammer No most of the ones against it are Patriots and believe in the US Constitution. Its looney progressives like you who want to shread that and turn everything over to the government for "security". No. Unfortuantly you can't stop all bad things from happening - its just not possible and taking liberties and personal freedoms from people in the process doesn't make it any safer. There are other ways they can go about increasing security so that a)the terrorists aren't laughing hysterically and b) is real security. You know of the Federal Air Marshall program? Yep - increase the number of Air Marshalls in the program and then you have more good guys out there with guns trained to shoot in a plane if the terrorists get crazy again. Terrorisim is to disrupt the way of life, not just take lives - and unfortunately on those grounds they succeeded. I expected better from this country than to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Ben Franklin said it best "Those who give up essential liberties for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security."
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@JT82

Good points. I've wondered since the whole security program began if the gummint realized that terrorists read the news, too.

All it's done is given them a perfect opportunity to direct their energies elsewhere while we're busy watching all the planes.
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
Railroad Buff 17th Nov 2010
@JT82 The only problem with air marshals INSTEAD of checking everybody is that you now let Richard Reid back on board. How many marshals per plane do you need to reduce that danger to the level that the scanners could do?
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@JT82 +1 on most of what you wrote. Specifically, I too feel that the TSA has done far more to *aid* terrorists in disrupting the lives of all travelers than it has to actually stop any threats. If one could possibly calculate the added time spent at airport security, cumulative stress and feelings of being violated, I don't think anyone would put up with TSA rules as they are today. The only *real* change since 9/11 that would stop a repeat of what happened then is the reinforced pilot's door. Most of the rest is just for security-related companies to make money while deluding the public into thinking this harassment results in safer air travel. I felt very violated when I was told to go through the body scanner... I declined, and was told I'd have to go through an extended "pat down" so then gave in and did the scan ... Just a horrible experience for me, and I can't imagine what it would feel like for a young, attractive woman being put through that process. Perhaps all this harassment results in changing a .0003% chance of a plane getting blown up to .0002% (and this I doubt given the way TSA works), but it results in a 99% chance that each and every passenger is going to get on that plane feeling more stressed and possibly even violated. Clearly we need to do some things, but lets toss the full body scanners, improve the other scanners so we can keep our shoes on and liquids in our bags, and tell the TSA agents that it is not only their jobs to stop terrorists, but to treat all passengers with respect.
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@JT82 It is alll the dumb fc..s like you that have this country in is current sad state... talking about rights and liberties.... no one is forcing you to get on a plane! You can drive, take a train, or a ship. Get over it!!! Liberties and rights are just an illusion given to the dumb sheep so they will complaintly go to the slaughter when asked to... The only rights and liberties you have are afforded to you by the majority and those rights and liberties can change at any time.
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RE: Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images
technology@... 18th Nov 2010
@JT82 Progressives shredding the constitution? Who do you think was fighting to stop domestic spying? Progressives do tend to be against the proliferation of hand guns because an ordered society cannot function if everyone thinks they have the right (and firepower) to enforce the law as they interpret it. Allowing the government to spy on its own citizens, detaining citizens without warrant or the right to a speedy trial of their peers or of legal representation are the "essential liberties" we most put at risk over the past 10 years. If the government can spy on you, can prevent you from associating with whomever you will, or speaking out against unjust policies, then it doesn't matter if you have guns, because you won't be able to organize a rebellion. Further, if the government has bigger more powerful guns in its arsenal than average citizens could ever afford, your Winchester or your Glock will be of little use.
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@cyberspammer
I worry about our country, and you are the perfect example of why. One day, if you're very unlucky, you'll get a taste of what it feels like to be assumed guilty until you're proven innocent.
@clfitz - un-thinking lemming sheeple like him are the ones that cross over and run the gas chambers.

Cowards are pitiful!
@cyberspammer - the gov has lied about every single detail of the machine, there isn't a single fact they got right, anyone believing ANYTHING they say is just a drooling moron.
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Benjamin Franklin said it best
shryko 17th Nov 2010
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

This is security theater, because those who are going to do terrorism have found much more effective methods of attack than hijacking airplanes. Really, this is just a nuisance to them, if they wanted to get past this, they'd go around it. (Don't think that there aren't ways around this. There are, such as being airline staff, going in with the people who get to bypass the terminal entirely, etc.)
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@shryko
Airline personnel, including the pilots, have to go through this same security.
Good day to confirm this comment I would appreciate T h e b e s t o f Z D N e t d e l i v e r e d your website very nice to everyone Yes, Oracle is the only one with shared-disk architecture, but that is there advantage. It means you can add or remove nodes and the database lives on. In a shared nothing architecture, if you lose a node, you lose the system. I'm sure Oracle appreciates EMC highlighting their advantage.I also desire to signal in your RSS feeds. Thank you as soon as once again and maintain up the great operate Awesome post! Thank you very much || thanks for nice content this is really benefit to me.

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