Outraged child protection agencies protest full body scanners

Airport news for Flights,Travel on 07/01/2010.

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The new decision from the UK government to introduce full body scanners at airports in and around the country has met with stiff resistance from various civil right groups which declare that the scanners would break laws belonging to creating indecent images of children.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has revealed that following the attempted bombing of the Northwest Airline flight to Detroit by the Nigerian, tighter security measures were required at most airports. The full body scanners were a part of the heightened security measures to be currently installed.

Action On Rights For Children, a civil rights group, has expressed dismay at the graphic pictures that would be viewed on the scanners. According to them the scanners would breach child protection laws in which the creation or viewing of indecent or pseudo images of children is banned. Various other groups also expressed their anxiety at the images the scanner would turn out. They have called them very graphic and amounting to a virtual strip search. They are intent of safe guarding the privacy if all the passengers involved.

The Department of Transport however released a statement saying that a code of practice was being drawn for all airport personnel which will be handling the machine. The department has assured the public that it understands their concerns and it considers it essential that a strong code of conduct and properly trained staff would allay fears and anxieties concerning the project. Also plans are in place for separating the scanner from a device which records faces, so that anonymity of the passenger is maintained. The photos will be then immediately deleted.

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