I got this news article from:- http://web.mid-day.com/news/world/2004/ ... /96526.htm
All's revealed at London airport!
By: Agencies
November 8, 2004
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London: Imagine people discovering you’ve been wearing sexy lingerie —underneath a double breasted corporate suit! If you’re in London, be warned that you can’t have any little secrets like these.
An X-ray machine that sees through air passengers’ clothes has been deployed by security staff at London’s Heathrow airport for the first time.
The device at Terminal 4 produces a “naked†image of passengers by bouncing X-rays off their skin, enabling staff instantly to spot any hidden weapons or explosives.
But the graphic nature of the black and white images it generates — including revealing outlines of men and women — has raised concerns about privacy both among travellers and aviation authorities.
In America, transport officials are refusing to deploy the device until it can be further refined to “mask†passengers’ modesty.
The Terminal 4 trial — being conducted jointly by the British Airports Authority and the Department for Transport — became fully operational last month and is intended to run until the end of the year.
Its deployment has not been reported until now since new security measures at airports are not normally publicised.
If the new body scanner is able to cope with large volumes of passengers, improves detection rates and, crucially, receives public acceptance, it is likely to be rolled out across all Britain's airports.
At Heathrow, passengers are picked to go through the body scanner on a random and voluntary basis. Those who refuse are subjected to an automatic hand search.
Cheers,
White Cap
