Privacy Rights are Already Compromised: Whole Body Imaging is Just Part of Their Destruction

As the current debate on whole body imaging continues in the US, I am surprised that the other countries who are conducting trials are keeping silent; perhaps they are surprised by the public outcry caused by this blatant disregard for privacy.

It seems obvious that anyone (apart from all you exhibitionists out there) would be hesitant about providing detailed contour maps of your body ,purely because of a government agency’s desire to maintain its spending budgets on technologies that obviously have intelligence gathering applications.

Image via Wikipedia

Monitoring of global communications and US citizens was happening long before 9/11 (which occurred in 2001 – yes it was that long ago).

(1)   In 1950 the FBI began collecting information on ’suspect’ US citizens.

NSA Headquarters via Wikipedia

(2)   In 1952 the NSA was founded, its core focus on electronic surveillance, operating a large network of satellites and listening devices around the globe.

(3)   1967-1975, The NSA, CIA and FBI create watchlists to once again monitor ‘subversives’ by conventional and electronic means.

(4)   Wiretapping -just pick a year……

(5)   1970’s- NSA develops enhance satellite monitoring technology which can monitor microwave transmissions used by the Soviets.

(6)   1979 – President Jimmy Carter bans surveillance on US citizens and permits surveillance on foreign soil.

There are numerous other instances that can be researched online (search under ‘loss of privacy rights ‘ or ‘mass surveillance’) which outline our leaders attitudes to information gathering ,which was the same before 9/11 but now allows the withholding of information because of national security concerns rather than “state secrets” which was the buzzword used from the 1950’s.

In a 2007 Privacy International Survey eight countries were rated as having active mass surveillance policies in place. China, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.

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The surveillance activities include CCTV cameras with facial recognition, public transport monitoring, credit card tracking, private mail tampering, monitoring of all communication activities including internet activity, monitoring of social networks such as Myspace, DNA databases and of course the latest and greatest addition whole body imaging.

Whole body imaging will allow the gathering of complete (really complete) biometric imaging which I am sure will not be abused in any way.

Possible applications include remote monitoring based on the way you walk etc , let face it ,this technology is indicative of the agencies desire to gather any info that can be gathered (they must already have the rest of our personal information).

I am reminded of the 1980 spoof movie Airplane! , where at the security checkpoint, women are displayed naked on monitors when they pass through the screening area. How we laughed (as men were not shown naked),this has now has become a reality and we are all naked.

Perhaps the scenario in Total Recall (1990 movie with Arnie) is what we can expect? Potential rebels will be in different zones and the air supply can be cut off by those in power until demands are met. I hope that this will not be the case, but as individuals we can do nothing.

In Total Recall, a biometric scanner was used which showed up as skeletal scans(not unlike an X-ray), I guess the movie creators could not foresee that skin level ,nude scans would be preferred in the future.

Many of our activities that should be private are not, and there is little we can do about it now since all of these systems are put in place without informing us.

Whole Body Imaging – sounds nice doesn’t it?

Citizens will either accept this passively (it keeps us safe, proves I’m not a terrorist etc) or be against it completely as I am. I don’t believe anyone actually welcomes this blatant disregard for anatomical privacy under the guise of national security etc.

9/11 was a terrible, destructive event and had far reaching effects for everyone (not just in the US). New regulations and restrictions were imposed worldwide, making air travel more time-consuming and few complained, as we realised that it was a preventative measure against future attacks by terrorists etc. This technology does not help prevent terrorism – the system is only as good as those who implement it.

I would recommend to all citizens globally ,to voice your opinions and reject this technology completely for public use.

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 I’m not sure what good petitions etc will do ,but if the United States ever had a popular president who is intelligent ,willing to go against the establishment etc, they have one now in Barack Obama. Please select your contact link at http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/  and submit petitions etc to him as you see fit, copying your locally elected representatives. For non-US citizens contact your leaders in a similar fashion.

We all realise that, even if we succeed in preventing this technology being used in public areas, that we will be subjected to it by underhand methods (in the interests of national security of course). Fine, I’m okay with that and will continue my way through life in blissful semi-ignorance that my rights to privacy are still intact, that my communications and financial transactions etc are not monitored

However I will not subject myself or my family to this device, regardless of its location in an airport or other area. Yes, I am in a position to do this and I’m sure many others are also.

If you have not read my other article on this topic it’s here. I have a few other additions to it.

1. It is not guaranteed that TSA staff will implement these scans as every airport can use private companies to carry out passenger and baggage screening. These will be TSA-trained and monitored etc……..yawn!
2. We have now been given a choice -use the technology or be groped with the back of the hand – a refreshingly new way of being groped?
3. The TSA claim they have received few complaints from the public. Hmm, must be the reason why this issue is so prominent in global headlines. Use Google and it seems there are many complaints – these people must be subversives – perhaps they need to be added to a watchlist?

Perhaps Benjamin Franklin summed it up best when he said: “They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security”