Airline search procedures a dehumanizing experience

Paolo Ramos/Staff Writer

As the peak of the holiday season is fast approaching, the number of passengers flying is sure to greatly increase. However, this season is also likely to see an increase in the number of angry travelers as a result of new screening measures being conducted by the Transportation Security Association.

The TSA, which conducts passenger screening for the majority of airports in the United States, has implemented the use of full-body scanners and enhanced pat-downs as extra security measures.

This has resulted in widespread public backlash, and with good reason. These new security measures are an obscene invasion of the privacy of American citizens and a counterproductive method to solving the issues involved with airport security.

The new procedure being enacted by the TSA uses x-ray and radiation technology to capture a person’s naked form in great detail. The TSA alleges that these images are not retained in any way, yet, just recently a Florida Federal courthouse using the scanners saved 35,000 images, which have since gone viral on the Internet. It seems as if the privacy that is promised by the TSA is compromised at best and non-existent at worse.

The possible health risks that the scanners pose are also another issue that the TSA has not effectively tackled. X-ray radiation has the potential to develop carcinogens. The full extent of the effects of the scanners has yet to be determined and the risk level is unknown. To put passengers at such risk seems like a steep price to pay for potentially ineffective security methods.

The TSA, though not expressively, offers passengers the option to opt out of the body scan, thereby requiring them to submit to the enhanced pat-down which, in some ways, is even more invasive than the body scanners.

An enhanced pat-down consists of a TSA agent laying his or her hands on every reachable surface of a person’s body. This used to consist of officials using the back of their hands, but now it is acceptable to use palms to search a person, including the breast and genital areas. Children and the elderly are not exempt from this.

In any other situation, this kind of contact would be labeled as sexual assault and, in this case, is justified by federal support.

This brings into question the priorities of the U.S. government, which is essentially sacrificing the civil liberties of Americans and detracting from the quality of travel for airline passengers.

Those travelling over the holidays must be prepared to encounter strong minded and sometimes aggressive treatment at the airport. They can also expect no answers from TSA officials, as they are adamant about keeping their intentions hidden.

This is a tumultuous time for passengers, and the policies and risks should be understood by all to ensure that travel time is not drastically compromised. At least one thing can be assured, and that is that air travel, for now, is being regarded as a top priority regardless of the indecent policies enacted by the TSA.