# Anything To Increase SECURITY: Electronic Strip Searches should be mandatory **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 26, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567 "2005-05-26T06:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/1 "2005-05-26T06:12:41Z")
One can never be too safe. In the latest act of capitulation towards those seeking to erode our liberty and privacy, Homeland Security introduces [The X-Ray Backscatter](http://www.bwiairport.com/press_room/press_releases/100/): “The X-Ray Backscatter inspection system creates photo-like images revealing explosives and plastic weapons, thereby reducing the need for physical body pat-downs.” Swell. How detailed is the image? [Privacy advocate and tech consultant Bill Scannel](http://news.com.com/Airport+screeners+could+see+X-rated+X-rays/2100-7348_3-5718163.html) sez, “It shows nipples. It shows the clear outline of genitals.” Backscatters began testing in various airports last year; I am unaware of any reports of leaked photos. Personally I have no problem with any of this: if you don’t want anybody goggling your genitals (or googling your genitals), then there is a simple recourse: don’t fly. Or lighten up: think of it as a nude beach. Also, consider joining a gym: it’s healthy and we’d rather not see you like that. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/2 "2005-05-26T06:16:38Z")
Every one of your arguments could apply to a suggestion that everybody should be strip-searched for real. Would you advocate that? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/3 "2005-05-26T06:19:14Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > Personally I have no problem with any of this: if you don’t want anybody goggling your genitals The goggles! They do… um… I don’t think I want to know. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/4 "2005-05-26T06:37:03Z")
What about pregnant women, or those who don’t want non-medically required x-rays taken? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/5 "2005-05-26T12:23:33Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > “It shows nipples. It shows the clear outline of genitals.” And where can I get one? ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/6 "2005-05-26T12:33:52Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > What about pregnant women, or those who don’t want non-medically required x-rays taken? Amtrak ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/7 "2005-05-26T12:37:06Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > And where can I get one? Yeah, I’d consider buying the home game. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/8 "2005-05-26T12:45:33Z")
> [@Balle\_M](#): > > Amtrak Great suggestion - once those trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific tunnels are laid. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/9 "2005-05-26T12:49:06Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > What about pregnant women, or those who don’t want non-medically required x-rays taken? It mentions in the article that the x-rays are low powered to avoid penetration of the skin. Shouldn’t that negate any medical issues? Or is there still an exposure (no pun intended) risk? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/10 "2005-05-26T12:50:52Z")
> [@](#): > > “It shows nipples. It shows the clear outline of genitals.” What’s the big deal? Things like that have sold out of the back pages of comic books for _decades_. Anyway, guess I’ll leave the foil-wrapped cucumber at home from now on. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/11 "2005-05-26T13:08:09Z")
> [@One And Only Wanderers](#): > > It mentions in the article that the x-rays are low powered to avoid penetration of the skin. Shouldn’t that negate any medical issues? Or is there still an exposure (no pun intended) risk? If it doesn’t penetrate the skin, how do we get the image of the knife behind the guy? Does it go \*around \* the skin? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/12 "2005-05-26T13:23:43Z")
> [@Little Bird](#): > > If it doesn’t penetrate the skin, how do we get the image of the knife behind the guy? Does it go \*around \* the skin? If we’re talking about the same pic, the knife is behind the newspaper, not the guy. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/13 "2005-05-26T13:26:39Z")
Can’t they do it Total recall style? A green skeleton and red blips for weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/14 "2005-05-26T13:26:41Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > If we’re talking about the same pic, the knife is behind the newspaper, not the guy. The first one has a knife, glock, and wallet behind the guy, with the x-ray thingabobber in front of him. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/15 "2005-05-26T13:33:14Z")
> [@Little Bird](#): > > If it doesn’t penetrate the skin, how do we get the image of the knife behind the guy? Does it go \*around \* the skin? or the image is composed of super imposed scans of each quadrant. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/16 "2005-05-26T13:41:31Z")
> [@Balle\_M](#): > > Amtrak I’d love to travel by Amtrak. I live in the largest city in Ohio. Do you know how far it is to the nearest Amtrak station? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/17 "2005-05-26T13:42:34Z")
Ok, gotcha. Actually, even though the machine is in front, it looks like a view _from_ behind, so maybe that pic was just put together wrong. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/18 "2005-05-26T13:54:23Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Can’t they do it Total recall style? A green skeleton and red blips for weapons. Or CSI-style, where they zoom in ten times in a row, to read the serial number on the boxcutter? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/19 "2005-05-26T14:12:18Z")
In every airport I’ve been at the general public could see what the security folks are seeing on their x-rays, for luggage at least. With this machine are they going to make some effort that only secuirty people can see the images, or will there always be a crowd of dirty fucks with their hands in their pockets behind the security counter, fapping their thanks to Osama bin Laden? And what time should I show up? ---
**Author:** ![huntergreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9dc877/32.png) [@huntergreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/huntergreen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567/20 "2005-05-26T14:26:23Z")
This isn’t exactly a popular idea in the transsexual community, I have to say. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-to-increase-security-electronic-strip-searches-should-be-mandatory/305567.md?page=2)