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National
Photo: DPA

Frankfurt airport deploys full-body scanners

Published: 23 Nov 12 16:43 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20121123-46357.html

The first of a new generation of full body scanners went into operation on Friday at Frankfurt airport for travellers to the US, despite a failed test of a previous generation in Hamburg two years ago.

"We are the first to use the new generation of body scanners," said police spokesman Christian Altenhofen at Germany's largest airport on Friday. He was keen to distance the new devices from those which performed badly when tested in Hamburg airport in 2010-2011.

Federal Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said he would not consider deploying the earlier generation of scanners at airports nationwide because they too often set off false alarms.

But now, a police statement said, "the improvement in performance since then allows the deployment of this forward-looking technology."

Only passengers heading to North America from Frankfurt will be encouraged to walk through a full-body x-ray scan, due to the higher safety requirements for this destination, explained police.

European Union rules stipulate that passengers cannot be forced to walk through the machines, which faced fierce opposition from privacy campaigners, particularly in Germany. Opponents said the scanners showed the passenger nude.

However, police say the new scanners do not show actual body images, but mark the places to be checked by airport staff on a pictogram of a body. Meanwhile, police insist the machines do not present any health risk.

DPA/jlb

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

17:38 November 23, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
I presume the company responsible for airport security will screen the employees monitoring these before being let loose on the publc. I would not like to think there are paedophiles or ex catholic priests watching the screens.
20:01 November 23, 2012 by chicagolive
It uses a pictogram not the actual image nobody sees nor have ever seen your actual body. Only way that happens is if you strip naked.
21:47 November 23, 2012 by IchBinKönig
@Berlin fuer alles

' paedophiles or ex catholic priests watching the screens. '

or School Teachers...

aren't they the ones MOST in the mix these days? oh, right. that interferes with your bigoted agenda.
22:16 November 23, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
Haven't the slightest notion of what you are talking about IchBin. Stick with the prescription drugs. Maybe some day you will make sense.
22:19 November 23, 2012 by IchBinKönig
and classy, did I mention classy? Anything else you want to project, idiot?
22:36 November 23, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
LOL

Now I have the honour of being stalked by IchBin. Resorting to insults too. I just wish I knew what the hell you are on about. You make absolutely no sense. I can only suppose you make some sort of sense to yourself. Your subjective opinions do not match any objective opinions though.
23:48 November 23, 2012 by IchBinKönig
I doesn't surprise me that you don't know what I'm on about, Idiot.
00:03 November 24, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
LOL. You crack me up. Anything else you want to get off your little chest?
11:21 November 24, 2012 by Onlythetruth
@ ichbinkonig

HINT: no one knows what you are talking about.

More on point I think these scanners are a very good thing despite any privacy concerns. The more we can counter the bad guys with technology the better. Of course the bad guys will counter with new technology of their own however or simply avoid the new machines by attacking at airports that don't have them installed yet.
11:56 November 24, 2012 by realist1961
The people of American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93 do not give a #$%& about what privacy campaigners have to say.
15:25 November 24, 2012 by heathen
The pictogram of my body would indicated a 'third leg' (with a metallic object embedded at the end of the slightly shorter 'third leg')
15:45 November 24, 2012 by catjones
In the nanosecond before your retinas can react to the blinding light and before the auditory hairs are hit with the wave of the blast, if you could form a thought (and you can't) you'd think, 'they didn't scan this flight'.
16:03 November 24, 2012 by Leo Strauss
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." Ben Franklin

Police state conditioning for the Sheeple, who after 11 years still don`t recognise the 911 false flag attack for what it was: a coup d`etat meant to roll out fascism in the West. Throw in the mentally deficient "Shoe" bomber and the useful idiot "Underwear" bomber- both spook-run patsies whose evil deeds provided the justification the state needed to strip us of more of our rights. Hmmm, I wonder who sold all those naked body scanners to the gov`t?

Michael Chertoff to Frankfurt Airport Head Clown: "Keep making me money, kid". ;)

Now back to your regular programming...
19:42 November 24, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
@ Leo Strauss

I agree with your synopsis regarding giving up a little liberty but at the same time I don't really have a problem with screening at airports. In this situation I think it goes beyond security and is a necessity in order to be able to fly without getting killed by lunatics. I don't really count it as giving up a liberty. It is more like declaring ones intent before boarding a plane. I am declaring that I will not blow it up. I would not like doormen to allow people to carry knives and guns into a night club that I am socialising in either.
19:42 November 24, 2012 by Englishted
According to the photo above, the one on the left is smuggling post-its out of the country for use in espionage.

The one on the right is smuggling a neck warmer a banned item often used in Chinese medicine.
21:08 November 24, 2012 by Leo Strauss
@Berlin fuer alles

Bfa, they are taking an image of your naked body, and if you have a partner and children, then they are doing the same thing with them. You don`t count that as giving up a liberty? Hmmm. You must be FKK hardcore. ;) To me its an unacceptable violation of my privacy by the state. Period.

In addition, I think that you are right to worry about the gov`t pedaphiles and other creatures who will have access to the images. Just look at the low-lifes who are working for the TSA in the States. No thank you.

I also don`t want to be exposed to the radiation coming off of these things, cuz it is dangerous. But if you think that is bad, you should check out the U.S. gov`t`s mobile VIPR units. They have a similar, more powerful x-ray device that they use to radiate vehicles...while the people are unwittlingly sitting in them! Of course, it`s all to keep us safe from terrorists. ;)

Ever wonder why these measures weren`t implemented before 911? Wasn`t there already hijacking in the 60s? Hmmm.

Ever heard of Global Hawk? It is the technology used to remotely fly drones, but has been installed in commercial airliners since at least the 80s as an anti-hijacking measure. A plane gets hijacked? Global Hawk can be activated remotely to override the flight controls of the pilot in order to land the plane on a secured runway. So you see, even if the baddies get on with a weapon they won`t be able to fly the plane.

And speaking of Global Hawk, we come around again to 911 and the false flag attack on the U.S.- who or what was flying those "planes" ? Then the Shoe and Underwear patsies: all state-sponsored and run.

So if intelligence agencies are running the terrorists, why do I have to go through the x-ray machines? If NATO is running Al-Qaeda in Libya and Syria, aren`t they on our side now? If that`s the case then no need for the naked porno scanners or the dirt bags who operate them. Right?

Sorry Bfa, but if that plane is going to be hijacked and flown into something with you on it, then it is going to happen whether you get radiated or not. That`s the beauty of Global Hawk, B.

Probably on the no-fly list now for explainin it to y`all.
08:52 November 25, 2012 by Englishted
@Leo Strauss,

Yes Leo you will be on a list for this comment but not a no-fly list.
21:08 November 25, 2012 by Leo Strauss
@Englishted

Whether in earnest or in jest, you are probably right, my good man. :)
21:09 November 25, 2012 by murka
So I stopped flying.
21:19 November 25, 2012 by truth is treason
The body scanners are 2nd and are taken from America.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49517858/Major_Airports_to_Remove_Invasive_X_ray_Body_Scanners

Workers risk cancer

http://www.naturalnews.com/032841_body_scanners_cancer.html
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