TSA Body Scanners – Image Storage and Transmission

The TSA has on several occasions said that their body scanners doesn’t have the ability to store, print or transmit the images they produce in body scanning operations. Their website says this today;
“As we’ve stated from the beginning, TSA has not, will not and the machines cannot store images of passengers at airports. The equipment sent by the manufacturer to airports cannot store, transmit or print images and operators at airports do not have the capability to activate any such function.”

However, according to cNet, the US Marshals are doing just that. While several advocacy groups are fighting to ban the technology, the outcome is very uncertain. The Marshal Service;

“William Bordley, an associate general counsel with the Marshals Service, acknowledged in the letter that “approximately 35,314 images…have been stored on the Brijot Gen2 machine” used in the Orlando, Fla. federal courthouse. In addition, Bordley wrote, a Millivision machine was tested in the Washington, D.C. federal courthouse but it was sent back to the manufacturer, which now apparently possesses the image database.”

The machines that the TSA are using are capable of storing, printing and transmitting images. Every single one of them have been used to do this, and every single one of them can be used to do it again. This is a known fact, as this little snippet from the TSA itself tells clearly.
“The truth is, the procurement specifications require these machines be capable of functioning in both a screening operation environment at the airport, and in a test mode environment.”
…and…
“All functionality to store, export or print images is disabled before these machines are delivered to airport checkpoints. There is no way for Transportation Security Officers in the airport environment to place the machines into test mode.”

What this means is that the functionality is dormant but present, not removed or not present. There is a crucial difference.

While millimeter wave imaging technology is probably destined to stay and proliferate, it’s essential that the (though limited) trust people have for transportation security agencies, and other forms of security agencies for that matter, be reinforced by having these agencies tell the truth, and not cover it up, as has happened in this case.