Exclusive: TSA Says Body Scanners Saving Images ‘Impossible’ [Tsa]

Can the body scanners used by the TSA save images? It sort of feels unreasonable to geeks that a computer cannot save any images at all-ever. But in keeping with a press release made to Gizmodo by the TSA, that’s the case.

After the shock last week over images that were saved by a millimeter wave scanning machine operated by U.S. Marshals at an Orland, Florida federal courthouse , many-myself included-wondered if this meant an identical leak from machines operated by the TSA was inevitable. The TSA, nonetheless, has publicly stated that there was no way at keen on images to be leaked from their machines-a claim it is especially hard for geeks to swallow, for whom ‘computer security’ is a short lived condition.

DHS/TSA’s public affairs office was kind enough to produce some answers.

I asked the Department of Homeland Security to elucidate exactly which models of body scanners were currently in use by the TSA.

Their reply (emphasis mine):

TSA competitively bids new technologies and makes selections through a comprehensive research, testing, and deployment process. Technology must meet detection standards and TSA tests new technology in both laboratory and field environments. As companies develop new technologies, they’ll be included inside the competitive process. Currently, L-3 and Rapiscan are the two vendors on TSA’s qualified products list for Advanced Imaging Technology.

I also asked if it were truly ” impossible” for machines to not save images.

TSA (emphasis mine):

The machines in airports don’t have the potential to avoid wasting, print or store images. New software and hardware would wish to be installed in order for this to be possible.

Source

This post is tagged: comprehensive research, department of homeland, department of homeland security, federal courthouse, imaging technology, public affairs office, qualified products