Dutch ask that scanners be mandatory at airports

News at Gatwick 31/12/2009

BA strike to affect thousands of fliers : December 2009 : New airport security measures in place

Privacy watchdogs have had reservations

In the aftermath of the attempted terrorist attack on a Northwest Airlines Flight as it made its way to Detroit, the Dutch airport authorities are calling for the mandatory use of microwave scanners at all EU airports. In 2008 MEPs passed a resolution that said body scanners “cannot be considered mere technical measures relating to aviation security, but have a serious impact on the fundamental rights of citizens”. The MEPs have asked the EU Transport Commission to assess the impact of scanners on people’s rights, health and travel costs.

Airports across Europe have invested vast amounts of money in scanners that are stored in cupboards, such as those based at Heathrow, due to the perceived invasion of privacy that the scanner may cause to passengers. Privacy watchdogs have said the scanners could expose too much of a person’s body and that the images could be viewed by airport staff.

Although there is currently not enough evidence that the particular scanners based at Schiphol Airport are capable of detecting the type of explosives carried on to the aircraft by Umar Abdulmatallab.

The terrorist travelled from Schiphol to Detroit as a transit passenger and followed an established security checks including the transmition of the passenger list to the US authorities, whilst travelling through Holland. Currently the scanners based at Schiphol are only used for European flights.

BA strike to affect thousands of fliers : December 2009 : New airport security measures in place

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