Full-body scanner catches cell phone, misses bomb on German TV [video]
A demonstration of a full-body scanner on German television last week revealed that the device, which uses infrared technology, was able to detect little more than a cellphone, a knife, and the girth of the man walking through it.
The problem? He was also packing a bomb.
“Admittedly, he only faced the scanner from the front and not from the side,” wrote computer security pro Bruce Schneier. “But he also didn’t hide anything in a body cavity other than his mouth — I didn’t think about that one — he didn’t use low density or thinly sliced PETN, and he didn’t hide anything in his carry-on luggage. Full-body scanners: they’re not just a dumb idea, they don’t actually work.”
Though strategist James Carville thoroughly debunked privacy concerns regarding the scanners earlier this week (video below), the test raises new questions as to whether full-body scans provide a sufficiently naked representation of airline passengers to be effective.
WATCH Carville put an end to airport privacy concerns [explicit]
Das System ist kaputt.