Full Body Scanners vs. Privacy

There have been a lot of articles this week, everywhere from NPR to MSNBC to Huffington Post, about the new full-body scanners that may make an appearance in airports around the US.  Some say the high tech scanners could have prevented the would-be terrorist from getting onto the plane on Christmas Day.  The main reason these scanners have not been put in very many airports is because they see through clothing and form a full body image on a screen, which privacy advocates are concerned about. It can “show the body’s contours with embarrassing clarity” and perform “virtual strip searches” (from AP).

Of course I want our country and airways to be safer. But is this the answer? I don’t know. What do you think? Is it worth it to sacrifice this much privacy?

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