NEW AIRPORT BODY X-RAYS REVEAL ALL

The government plans to soon begin testing a new security technology
that could give airport screeners detailed images of a passenger's
body through his or her clothing.

The Transportation Security Administration will launch a pilot program
in several airports of "backscatter" X-ray machines, which use
low-radiation X-rays to produce a black and white image that clearly
shows the person's body and any metal, plastic or organic materials,
such as marijuana, hidden beneath clothing. The airports in the pilot
project will be named in the near future.

The agency said the machines to be used will be modified to produce
less explicit images and protect passengers' privacy. "We are
aggressively pursuing continued development of backscatter technology.
Obviously, one of the major issues is the privacy of passengers," said
TSA spokeswoman Yolanda Clark.

One way is to adjust the machines to produce fuzzy images. A less
popular option is placing the screener in an enclosed booth so others
couldn't see the graphic images of passengers.

TSA officials have long expressed interest in the technology, but have
so far failed to adopt it for widespread testing or use in airports
because of significant privacy issues. There is also concern many
airports don't have enough space to host the giant machines. But
recent terrorist attacks that brought down two Russian passenger jets
have raised concerns domestically about checking passengers more
carefully for possible explosives. TSA now requires passengers remove
jackets and can conduct full-body pat-downs to detect explosives.

"The biggest gap is a lack of technology to detect explosives and
weapons," said Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.), chairman of the House
aviation subcommittee. "Only backscatter [technology] is going to
provide you with the most accurate detection of both weapons and
explosives. Period."

Privacy advocates say even with modifications the technology can be
uncomfortably revealing for many people and would allow security
screeners to find objects that aren't related to airport security,
such as illegal drugs.

"It's like an electronic strip search," said Barry Steinhardt,
director of the American Civil Liberties Union's technology and
liberty program. "You certainly have to worry about the possibility of
voyeurism with these machines."

TSA's interest in using backscatter X-ray technology received a boost
yesterday, when the Department of Homeland Security's inspector
general recommended its adoption as part of a report critical of
airport screener performance.

Covert testing by Homeland Security investigators from July 2003
through November 2003 at 15 airports revealed that screeners' ability
to detect weapons hasn't improved since the government assumed
responsibility for screening from the airlines and that screener
performance was poor.

"It was easier to get guns, knives and improvised bombs on planes than
it should have been," said Homeland Security Inspector General Clark
Kent Ervin.

Details of how poorly screeners performed in the undercover tests
weren't released. Similar tests by congressional investigators
released earlier this year also found lapses. TSA officials say
security and screener performance has improved significantly since the
tests were completed last year.