Americans debate about full body scanning on airports

On the other hand a large number of people and human rights activists have been shouting aloud that this is a direct intrusion in their privacy.

Be it the news conferences in Washington,or the round the clock news channels,newspapers,blogs or social networking forums,the debate between privacy and security has been dominating over the past few days here and is likely to do so in the next few days.

“We know from intelligence that al-Qaeda seeks to do harm through aviation security,through devices concealed on a body inside of a device that one might take onto an airplane or in luggage that’s put on an airplane,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

“So our charge is to do all that we can to protect those that travel,but also to do so in a way that’s,as I said,minimally invasive. That’s a balance that we will continue to search for. I think what’s important is – this was a process that,based on intelligence and based on feedback,is and will continue to evolve and change. That’s the nature of both the threat and the response to it,” he said.

Meanwhile,as the rage against image body scanning grew,chief of Transportation Security Administration John Pistole pleaded with travelers not to boycott body scans,saying that would only tie up lines at the airport.

Pistole also said he’s taking another look at the new procedures – including pat-downs – as he tries to balance security and privacy.

“We are dealing with the current threat environment that we’re aware of that we face a determined and innovative terrorist group in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,which has proven adept at concealment and design of bombs that can bring down both passenger airlines and cargo airlines. So we’re trying to provide the best possible security while balancing the privacy issues that are equally important and how we do that in a blended fashion,” he told the CBS news.

The CNN reported that pat-down backlash has grown in the country.

“A short video clip circulating on the internet shows a shirtless boy receiving a pat down from a Transportation Security Administration agent. His father watches,hands on his hips,obstructing part of the view,” the channel said.

According to Fox News,in separate letters issued on Tuesday,two US lawmakers are looking for answers on the training and methods employed by TSA agents,including one Congressman who wants to know why officers trailed a videographer who taped a kid stripped at the security gate.

Meanwhile,a poll conducted by The Washington Post-ABC News said nearly two-thirds of Americans support the new full-body security-screening machines at the country’s airports,as most say they put higher priority on combating terrorism than protecting personal privacy.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the new measures are necessary for public safety.

“There is a continued threat against aviation involving those who seek to smuggle powders and gels that can be used as explosives on airplanes. The new technology is designed to help us identify those individuals,” she said.