New airport body scanners spark privacy debate
The Government has defended controversial new airport body scanners as safe, but prominent civil libertarian Terry O'Gorman says the technology is an invasion of privacy.
A new millimetre wave radio frequency body scanner is being trialed at three major Australian airports. It does not use X-rays, but it does have "X-ray vision".
Using this technology, security officers can detect metal and plastic weapons and also they can see through your clothes.
The Government says it is very safe, but it is still controversial.
Mr O'Gorman, who heads the Council for Civil Liberties, says the technology is a "total invasion of privacy", allowing virtual strip searches and has overstepped the mark.
But the Government says this will not be allowed when the technology is used with the public.
"No images will be stored," the Office of Transport Security's Andrew Tongue said.
"Anybody but the person viewing the image is remote from where the person will be going through the body scanning, so they can't link in any way a person and their image.
[Not linking the image to an individual? Isn't that the whole point?]
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