Security scanners

In adopting a new set of guidelines governing the "strict operational and technical conditions" of full body security scanners, the European Commission has paved the way for airports across the bloc to make use of what some consider controversial new technology.

The EU says the scanning corridors, which airports can choose to use or not as they so wish, are more sensitive than traditional security checks and highly effective in detecting both metallic and non-metallic items. They work by taking a photographs of passengers and are equipped with software that highlight any suspicious objects.

In a statement released in November, European Commissioner Vice President Siim Kallas said that although the new devices are not a panacea, they "offer a real possibility to reinforce passenger security," particularly at airports with heavy traffic and passenger flow.

Not for everyone

However, that security comes at a price, critics say.

Gus Hosein, executive director of the London-based Privacy International argued that passengers should not have to be physically exposed in the name of tighter security and airline safety.

"These scanners may produce strikingly clear images of passengers' bodies, amounting to a significant - and for many people, humiliating – assault on dignity that citizens of free nations should not have to tolerate."

The issue is not new, and was, according to spokeswoman for the Commission's department of transport Helen Kearns, one of the major points governing the EU debate that finally led to this week's adoption of the new guidelines. She said the European parliament's first preference was for stick figure depictions of passengers, but that for now they are not an option.

"That is where we would like to move to," Kearns told Deutsche Welle, adding that there are currently only one or two manufacturers capable of producing that technology. "The market is still developing, so the parliament has accepted more traditional images governed by very strict conditions."

Tough, but tough enough?

Those conditions stipulate that passengers' faces have to be blurred, the reviewer has to be in a separate room, any unauthorized access or use of the image is prohibited and shall be prevented, and that the scanners must not store, retain, copy, print or retrieve images.

For critics such as Hosein, however, the guidelines simply don't offer enough by way of a guarantee.

"The European Commission rules state that images may not be retained, but it is not clear how rigorously such rules would be reinforced," he said, pointing out that airport employees may well be tempted to abuse the system.

Kearns countered that it would not be in the interests of any airports deciding to use the technology, to employ staff who could not be trusted to do it by the book, and that they themselves are subjected to extremely rigorous security checks.

In addition, the EU added a clause to the conditions of use which make it possible for passengers not wishing to be subjected to a full body scan to opt for a different type of screening. They could not, however, choose the alternative.

No risk technology

That said, the Commission insists that the x-ray-free technology presents no health risks and complies with fundamental rights.

The technology has been trialed in a number of European countries, including the Netherlands, the UK, France, Finland and Germany, and it was largely well received, Kallas said.

"Experience to date shows that passengers and staff generally see security scanners as a convenient method of screening," the Commission Vice President said in a statement.

Not so in Germany, where trials repeatedly returned false readings and consequently led to a government decision not to install the scanners at airports across the country.

Author: Tamsin Walker
Editor: Cyrus Farivar