A government agency has collected thousands of "naked" images from advanced body-scanners, despite assurances from the Transportation Security Administration that the machines can't store or record the scans. The U.S. Marshals Service admits it secretly collected up to 35,000 images of people from a single Florida courthouse. The "X-ray" scanning machines are able to produce images that "see through" clothing, and the TSA is rolling them out at major airports around the U.S. The TSA now acknowledges the scanners can record, but says the feature is only for training purposes, and will be turned off at airports. Should travelers believe it?
No, the feds have no respect for our privacy: We are always told the government has "strong policies in place to prevent abuse" of this kind of technology, says Dan Gillmor at Salon, and we are always lied to. Far from being unable to store images, these machines are "specifically designed" to collect them. "The only surprise in this case is that anyone would be surprised."
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