Body Scanners: A Strip Search by Other Means?

This chapter describes the privacy intrusiveness of (backscatter) body scanners, comparing the use of the devices to a strip search; highlights both their security benefits and drawbacks for airport security; outlines the possible alternatives to (backscatter) body scanners in airport security screening; sums up the scope of deployment of body scanners in the US; outlines the statutory law and case law of special relevance in the US; evaluates the deficiencies and dilemmas of the US legal framework in terms of fulfilling the principles of privacy and upholding the integrity of the Fourth Amendment with regard to the use of body scanners; and provides some policy-relevant recommendations, including proposals on how to enhance the US legal framework and address the issues identified.