Congratulations! You're a porn star.

[directmarketingadvice]

Or soon will be, according to the Guardian:

"New scanners break child porn laws"

The rapid introduction of full body scanners at British airports threatens to breach child protection laws which ban the creation of indecent images of children, the Guardian has learned.

So... let me get this right... airports have the right to create indecent images of their customers as long as those customers are adults?

Privacy campaigners claim the images created by the machines are so graphic they amount to "virtual strip-searching" and have called for safeguards to protect the privacy of passengers involved.

Ministers now face having to exempt under 18s from the scans or face the delays of introducing new legislation to ensure airport security staff do not commit offences under child pornography laws.

So, if scanning kids means creating pornographic images of them, then doesn't that mean scanning adults also means creating pornographic images?

Or am I missing something?

Airport officials say the scanner image is only seen by a single security officer in a remote location before it is deleted.

A friend of mine told me about the time he had to visit the STD clinic.

When he got to the point in the tale where he was being examined by a male doctor, he said "you don't end up in a job like that by accident...".

Clearly Big Brother is bored of listening to our phone calls and monitoring our internet usage. Now he wants to take a peek at our bits and bobs.

Steve

 

[JoyDivision]

I can see both sides of the argument. But I am a person who travels only by ship and train, I just don't do planes.

 

[Gillie]

Mmmm food for thought! A new industry perhaps - porn airport?? We could all be stars ... or those of us that fly could be!!

I'm ready for my close up Mr De Mille ...

 

[Subbynet]

I can see both sides of the argument. But I am a person who travels only by ship and train, I just don't do planes.

Today they check you while boarding planes, tomorrow it could be ships and trains.

Give an inch, they take a mile. Gordon has used this Yemen "bomber" to push through the use of these scanners, neglecting his earlier reassurances that they should be trailed to iron out any issues.

The disclosures came as Downing Street insisted British intelligence information that the Detroit plane suspect tried to contact radical Islamists while a student in London was passed on to the US.

Yet this man, was allowed to live his life - seemingly, without any interference from the state, even though they knew he was a "risk"? His father visits the American embassy, says watch out, my son is a terrorist threat, and he still managed to find his way onto a plane to the US. :|

President Obama rendered a harsh verdict on the nation's intelligence community Tuesday. The bottom line said the President, is that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement had enough information to stop accused Northwest 253 bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from boarding the flight on Christmas, but failed to piece the information together.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/northwest-253-obama-hits-missed-signals/story?id=9442883

We need NO NEW SECURITY PROCEDURES... None, they haven't even mastered the first lot yet!!!! What we need, is for the security services to get their act together, not to blind us with a load of fluff which just makes out they're doing something - when in reality, we're no safer...

 

[Esk247]

lets just say..it was rather convenient that the Yemen bomber-wannabe made it on to a USA flight on one of the most important days of the year for americans.

this is just a cover up to allow them to snoop...why are they scanning white, british, non muslims, with no terrorist history, very few if no convictions, full time jobs and full passports? that doesn't fit the profile of a bomber does it...hmmm...they needed a reason to install the scanners in the first place, in the same way they've extended the powers of the police to intrude on all of our lives...and we can do nothing about it.

 

[jw8725]

messed up country this is becoming. I'm looking forward to emigrating this year anyway.

 

[directmarketingadvice]

We need NO NEW SECURITY PROCEDURES... None, they haven't even mastered the first lot yet!!!! What we need, is for the security services to get their act together, not to blind us with a load of fluff which just makes out they're doing something - when in reality, we're no safer...

That's what I was thinking. A guy they knew was a risk tries to blow up a plane and they suddenly need all these extra procedures.

Why?

I'm not really a "Big Brother" conspiracy type. And I don't actually believe there's a subtext about this other than politicians not wanting to be the person who says "we don't need these scanners" and then someone getting through and blowing up a plane.

But it's more about not being the guy who makes a mistake more than being rational and responding proportionately.

Steve

 

[directmarketingadvice]

I'm looking forward to emigrating this year anyway.

Remember to show them your willy as you leave.

Steve

 

[Tej]

Wonder how many of our politicians/friends have any financial interest in the Company/ies that make the scanners/peripherals etc....... main shareholders?....gotta be someone up there

A nice order placement

 

[GRDCredit]

Yet this man, was allowed to live his life - seemingly, without any interference from the state, even though they knew he was a "risk"? His father visits the American embassy, says watch out, my son is a terrorist threat, and he still managed to find his way onto a plane to the US. :|

This man despite having undersirable contacts had not committed any crime before had he? It is a difficult moral question - do you lock people up merely because they might commit a crime/terrorist act or do you wait until they have?

 

[directmarketingadvice]

This man despite having undersirable contacts had not committed any crime before had he? It is a difficult moral question - do you lock people up merely because they might commit a crime/terrorist act or do you wait until they have?

They didn't have to lock him up. Instead, they could search him thoroughly before he gets on the plane.

(or, alternatively, they could have refused him entry into their country as he's a foreigner)

Steve

 

[Dawg]

Interesting article here about another way to do security. Also see here for more, including:

"Before Richard Ried, the infamous shoe-bomber, did his deed over the Atlantic, he was sent to Israel by al Qaeda to feel out Israel's airport security. They wanted to see if Reid, a Brit, traveling on a British passport, not carrying any suspicious or forbidden objects, would nonetheless be tagged as suspicious by Israeli airport security. So Reid flew to Israel, spent few days or a week here and then returned to the airport to fly back to Merrye Olde Englande.

Sure enough, between a check of his passport and his answers to the screener's questions Reid was tagged as highly suspicious. He and his possessions were thoroughly searched, down to his underwear. He came out clean but security was still concerned. So they quickly arranged for whoever was supposed to sit next to Reid to get a sudden upgrade to business class and had a plain clothes, but armed, security person be assigned to the seat next to Reid. Just in case."

No willy waving from the Israelis about scanners. They just do security.

 

[Beachcomber]

I'm no conspiricy theorist but it seems that every time support for this 'war of terror' starts to wane or whenever there is a new piece of legislation the powers that be want passed then a little incident like this happens along.

Mushroom principle.

As for scanners - I'd be tempted to pop on a bra and panties just to see their face!

 

[Bri]

Interesting article here about another way to do security. Also see here for more, including:

"Before Richard Ried, the infamous shoe-bomber, did his deed over the Atlantic, he was sent to Israel by al Qaeda to feel out Israel's airport security. They wanted to see if Reid, a Brit, traveling on a British passport, not carrying any suspicious or forbidden objects, would nonetheless be tagged as suspicious by Israeli airport security. So Reid flew to Israel, spent few days or a week here and then returned to the airport to fly back to Merrye Olde Englande.

Sure enough, between a check of his passport and his answers to the screener's questions Reid was tagged as highly suspicious. He and his possessions were thoroughly searched, down to his underwear. He came out clean but security was still concerned. So they quickly arranged for whoever was supposed to sit next to Reid to get a sudden upgrade to business class and had a plain clothes, but armed, security person be assigned to the seat next to Reid. Just in case."

No willy waving from the Israelis about scanners. They just do security.

This has probably been seen by all security forces around the world anyway, but its a good insight in how to do things without really scaremongering.

I did like the balanced viewpoint and the detailed account of security procedures. However one of the respondents quite rightly pointed out that Israels airport throughput is marginally smaller than US and the many different languages spoken would present a huge problem.Now the very fact that US do things on a huge scale anyway I dont particularly see this as a problem.

Now the next comment I'm going to make is so pithy. I watched a filim last night, Steven Seagals new one. Now it occurs to me that the people who write these stories like 24, NCIS, WEST WING etc have an unusual insight into solving Americas problems and threats using one man and a small team, some unwitting volunteers, with a huge arsenal, excluding West Wing, or maybe not he did have the might of the US Armed Forces at his disposal and all manage to save the day.:|