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TSA to Remove Rapiscan Body Scanners From Airport

By Jeralyn, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Fri Jan 18, 2013 at 11:33:55 AM EST
Tags: Rapiscan, Backscatters, AIT, TSA (all tags)
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TSA has ended its $5 million contract with OSI, which makes the Rapiscan Backscatter, one of two "people screening" machines using advanced imaging technology at airports.

OSI could not meet a deadline to come up with software that rendered the images generic. Instead, TSA will use machines by L3 Communications which produce generic passenger images. Here's the L3 page for the Provision II. L3 Communications announced a $245 million contract with TSA in November. Also in November, at a congressional hearing, allegations arose, which OSI denied, that it had falsified test results.[More...]

Here are TSA's page on Advanced Imaging Technology and on the privacy aspects.

(TSA had contracts to use machines with two types of technology: the backscatter and millimeter wave. OSI made the former and L3 Communications the latter.)

Prior Posts on Backscatters:

< U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz Speaks About Aaron Swartz | O'Mara Seeks Subpoena for ABC's Recordings of "DeeDee" Interviews >

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    TSA to Remove Rapiscan Body Scanners From Airport | 15 comments (15 topical)

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    They can remove (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Zorba on Fri Jan 18, 2013 at 12:00:42 PM EST
    the L3 Communications scanners as well, as far as I'm concerned.
    On the other hand, I suppose we should be grateful that some bozo at TSA hasn't come up with the idea to make us remove all of our clothing (instead of just coats, jackets, belts, shoes, etc) and walk to the gate nude.  (Ooops!  Maybe I shouldn't give them that idea!)
    On the other, other hand, wasn't Rapiscan a client of Michael Chertoff's consulting group?  If so, and if it still is, I hope that the company dumps The Chertoff Group and that Chertoff loses some money.  Although, for all I know, they may now have L3 Communications as clients.

    Here's something I didn't realize... (none / 0) (#6)
    by desertswine on Fri Jan 18, 2013 at 08:13:45 PM EST
    Look who the chairman and ceo of OSI, Inc is.

    Type    Public
    Traded as    NASDAQ: OSIS
    Industry    Semiconductors
    Founded    1987
    Headquarters    Hawthorne, California, USA
    Key people    Deepak Chopra
    (CEO and Chairman)
    Alan Edrick
    (Executive VP and CFO)
    Ajay Mehra
    (President, Rapiscan Systems)
    Victor Sze
    (Company Secretary and General Counsel)
    Revenue     US$595 million (FY 2010)
    Net income     US$23.6 million (FY 2010)


    Parent
    Would have been (none / 0) (#7)
    by brodie on Sat Jan 19, 2013 at 10:43:29 AM EST
    even better for my airport security peace of mind if the famous New Age guy was running the company, but that is not the case, a quick google confirms.

    Parent
    Deepak Chopra (none / 0) (#8)
    by shoephone on Sat Jan 19, 2013 at 12:54:25 PM EST
    The charlatan who blames cancer patients for getting cancer.

    Ageless body, timeless...bu[[sh*t!

    Parent

    How about we end the TSA? (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by redwolf on Fri Jan 18, 2013 at 06:35:45 PM EST
    I've stopped flying because of how little respect the TSA gives it's charges.  911 was only going to work once due to people's passivity.  And if you wanted a big body count from a bomb I'm sure terrorists would just bomb the security line.

    Even ex TSA people admit that it's nothing more than security theater.

    By all rights... (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by kdog on Mon Jan 21, 2013 at 09:15:41 AM EST
    the TSA should be disbanded, but we're not very good about disbanding useless, if not downright harmful, government agencies...sh*t the DEA has lasted 40 years.  Welfare Queen Agencies is what they are...once they get on the teet ya can't pry 'em off with a crowbar.

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    I Agree With Your... (none / 0) (#10)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 11:34:04 AM EST
    ...TSA criticism.

    But I would like to know how one stops flying, do you stay at home or some alternative ?  I am pretty sure nearly everyone at airport hates the TSA, but how do you get from point A to point B without flying ?

    Parent

    I haven't flown in three years (none / 0) (#11)
    by shoephone on Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 12:30:57 PM EST
    precisely because I've come to despise the security theater so much and because flying any of the airlines is such an unpleasant experience anymore. No meals, no leg room, bitchy flight attendants, drunk passengers, and screaming children all compacted into an airborne lockbox.

    When I want to see family, I drive. Yes, it takes two and a half days to get there, but the previous 2-1/2 flight is now combined with 1-1/2 hour waste of time I'm ordered to arrive at the airport pre-flight, so that I may then deal with the absolute worst TSA I've ever encountered -- the TSA a-holes at Sea-Tac. And then, of course, the plane, usually leaves late, so it turns into half a day wasted. Airfares have gone up considerably, so the cost is no longer a deal. And I have family to stay with in Northern Calif on my way to final destination in So. Cal.

    My vacations are usually to Eastern WA, a nice 4-1/2 hour drive with friends. We leave late morning and arrive in time for cocktails and dinner. No TSA, no airline nonsense, no crowds. Perfect. I don't care for flying to the other side of the country anymore. The only time I will have to buckle under and endure the insanity of the security theater is if I want to vacation out of the country.  

    Parent

    I Hear Ya... (none / 0) (#12)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 01:18:05 PM EST
    ...but really two and days vs 4 hours ?

    I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a flight more than a half hour late, and more times than not, we have to wait because we landed early and there isn't a terminal available.

    I won't eat their food.  Speaking of, recently on a Delta flight they brought us actual menus with what looked like real food, and real prices.  It was odd.

    TSA sucks, but I discovered if you fly during the week, it's no more than a 10 min line and they always have a line, at least in Houston, that one can go through if they don't want to be scanned.

    Now I am 6'4" so there are always problems with me and the seats, it totally sucks, but damn I like to travel and while you stay w/i the states, that's not something I like to do.  Being in Houston I am closer to nearly every Caribbean and a couple South American destinations than I am to Seattle.

    Three years ago I went to Seattle to visit a high school friend, it was awesome.  We went to Rainer and looped the Olympic Peninsula for a week.  I get why flying would be easy to give up, that was fun, and the views were amazing.  But here in Texas, the only place worth driving used to be Mexico, 6 hrs, or New Orleans which is 5 hours.  Neither of which is scenic, if anything the swamps of LA are a little depressing and IMO NO is overrated.

    Parent

    You need to read my post again, Scott (none / 0) (#13)
    by shoephone on Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 02:16:16 PM EST
    I mentioned more than just the time involved. I note that the cost of the flights are no longer any kind of deal, that the TSA at Sea-Tac is abominable, and that the flight itself has become exceedingly unpleasant. Combination of factors in which I have to give total control over to the fascist government-corporate state.

    I enjoy driving, the trip is under my control, I have friends and family to visit along the way, and best of all: No a-holes putting their filthy hands through my luggage or on my body.

    YMMV. For me, it's a no-brainer.


    Parent

    I Got It... (none / 0) (#14)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 02:43:10 PM EST
    ...and I mentioned that if I lived in such a scenic part of the country it would be easier to not fly.

    I would say this, flying now, is a whole lot better than it was say... 5-7 years ago.  There was a period where I had to jump the security lines because I didn't have a hour to wait in line for my flight.  The past couple of years, I don't think I have waited for than 10mins for security, but as you know, that ain't the only line at the airport.

    What is crazy to me, is Ecuador, a country we had 4 or 5 flights in was like way back when.  Through metal detector with shoes on and non-metal stuff in pockets.  Even for the flight coming back to the states.  But what really shocked me, is most of the planes were newer and had a lot more leg room, yeah, in a country were the majority of people are shorter, they get more leg room.  Plus we could buy tickets at the airport for the same price as they were online.  Like a train/bus, you just go there an buy your ticket.

    It's fairly depressing when you realize a third world country is capable of shuffling their people through the air far better than ours.  And they manage to do it without stripping them of their dignity.

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    If I had to fly for work (none / 0) (#15)
    by shoephone on Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 04:03:21 PM EST
    I'd really be in a quandary.

    As for the better treatment from foreign airlines, I have found that to be the case in almost every instance! Our post 9-11 airport security measures are a direct reflection of the relationship between DHS and corporations that bid/lobby for the work. Follow the money...

    Parent

    Having in the past few years (none / 0) (#16)
    by Zorba on Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 06:10:35 PM EST
    traveled to Europe several times on Lufthansa, Air France, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, I would absolutely agree with you, shoephone.  And also, having gone through several European countries' pre-boarding requirements, they are much, much less intrusive, faster, more efficient, and very frankly, far more polite than what we are subjected to domestically.

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    SITE VIOLATOR (none / 0) (#4)
    by shoephone on Fri Jan 18, 2013 at 06:46:09 PM EST
    SPAM.

    No recipes. Just stationary.

    And Turkish, again (none / 0) (#5)
    by Zorba on Fri Jan 18, 2013 at 06:53:12 PM EST
    Why am I not surprised?  I wonder if there is any way for Jeralyn to screen out everything that has Turkish words in it?  Probably not.
    What happened to the Russian spam that used to be ubiquitous, long ago?  Seems like the Turks have taken over the spamming.

    Parent
    TSA to Remove Rapiscan Body Scanners From Airport | 15 comments (15 topical)

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