In Context: 5 Web Perspectives On A Story In The News

Senate targets controversial body scans

(The Boston Globe)  New York Senator Charles Schumer introduced a bill that would make it illegal for anyone to record or distribute images produced by full-body scanners at airports. The bill would set penalties of up to a year in prison and fines up to $100,000, or both. The body scanners see through passengers' clothing. The Transportation Security Administration said the revealing images can't be stored, transmitted or saved after being viewed. Passengers can opt out of the scan for a new, more invasive pat-down search that includes the crotch and chest. The TSA says the scanners are not able to save images, but scans from a scanner in a Florida courthouse were recently saved and posted online.

1.

Flying boycott against scanners

We Won't Fly.com
This website was founded by James Babb and George Donnelly in November 2010. We Won't Fly is an informal collaborative effort and is not affiliated with any political party or corporation. The site is opposed to full-body airport "porno"-scanners. They believe that they are an invasion of privacy, ineffective, and might be harmful to passengers' health. The grass roots effort wants people to stop flying until the use of full body scanners is discontinued. They provide a list of things people can do to help their cause including filing complaints and raising awareness through blogging and tweeting. They also post a blog by Donnelly about pat downs and body scanners. The site is organizing "We Won't Fly Day" on Dec. 23.

2.

TSA screeners' point of view

Flying With Fish
Flying With Fish is a blog operated by Steven Frischling, a professional photographer and media consultant working with global airlines. He works in New York, San Francisco, Paris and Hong Kong. His site contains advice for people who fly often. Frischling contacted 20 TSA workers to ask their opinion of the new pat down procedures. The 17 employees who agreed to speak with him explained that they not only dislike performing pat downs, but are also verbally abused by passengers. "Molester, pervert, disgusting, an embarrassment, creep. These are all words I have heard today at work describing me, said in my presence as I patted passengers down," said one Transportation Security Officer. He created the page to give a voice to the TSA employees who are just as unhappy with new procedures as passengers.

3.

Organized resistance to body scanners

Electronic Privacy Information Center
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is a public interest research center based in Washington, D.C. It was created in 1994 to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values. Gerald Tan, EPIC's administrative director, manages the site. EPIC is against body scanners and has filed a lawsuit to suspend their use in airports. EPIC argued the TSA had violated the Privacy Act and the Fourth Amendment. They believe it is too invasive. The site provides background about scanners as well as a list of airports that use them. They also provide top news about the issue. EPIC obtained 250 pages of documents from TSA in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit concerning body scanners. The documents are available on the site and reveal that the machines can store the revealing images and be transmitted digitally.

4.

TSA responds to the backlash

Transportation Security Administration blog
This blog is sponsored by the Transportation Security Administration to create a discussion about security and technology at airport screening checkpoints. The lead writer, "Blogger Bob," is the social media analyst for TSA and works at their headquarters in North Virginia. The blog posts responses to various negative TSA stories in the news. They responded to the stories about Meg McLain, who claimed the TSA ripped up her plane ticket and called police who cuffed her to a chair after she opted out of a full body scan. They deny many of the news stories and provide their point of view. The TSA blog also has several pro-body scanner and pat down posts. One post, titled "Advanced Imaging Technology-Yes, It's Worth It" says the TSA has found drugs and weapons using the scanner.

5.

First-hand account of a scanner opt-out

Johnny Edge blog
John Tyner's blog, <Insert title here>, came to international attention when he posted about his encounter with the TSA at San Diego International Airport. Tyner, a San Diego software programmer, opted out of the body scan and refused to undergo a pat down if they touched his groin. He said he would consider it sexual assault. Police eventually escorted him out of the security checkpoint and he was asked to leave the airport. His blog has three videos of the incident that he took with a hidden camera. You can't see much but the audio is excellent. He also wrote an extremely detailed account of what happened. Since his encounter, he has written almost exclusively about the TSA and his opposition to the body scans and pat down procedure.