Following a recent viral expose by blogger Jonathan Corbett on the potentially serious weaknesses in the TSA’s airport body scanners, multiple journalists have reported receiving emails from the TSA “strongly cautioning” them against covering the story. Corbett is encouraging media outlets to cover the story anyway.
Corbett’s blog-post and video, which has since gone viral, demonstrates that the backscatter scanners can be beat by placing a metal object on one’s side, where it will disappear against a dark background.
The TSA has posted a response to Corbett’s claim that denying that Corbett’s trick actually works, on the grounds that the body scanners are just one of “20 layers of security” in place at airports. Because that makes sense.
Yay, press freedom, yay regular freedom.
[Source: Slashdot]