The Cause and Effects of Airport Security

The first event was September 11th, 2001. The second was December 25th, 2009. The third was October 29th, 2010. These are the three dates when terrorists plotted to bring down an airliner in flight. Thus they are important when pondering the reasons the government has placed full body scans in some American airports. Since the placement of 78 full body scanners in airports all over the country in the last two years (Which American Airports), The major question is what are these full body scanners and how do they work And why are passengers angry that their personal privacy is being invaded by these machines First, we need to understand what a full body scanner is. According to the Washington Post, full body scanners are large machines that will go alongside metal-detectors and baggage x-ray machines at the security point on your way to the departure lounge. They do pretty much what you think they would do. Full-body scanners scan your entire body for concealed weapons, bomb-making materials, and for things like baggies of marijuana stuffed in your pants (How Full Body Scanners Work). This sounds like the perfect tool to protect Americans from boarding a plane with someone carrying a bomb, right So what is the problem If you think about it, all of the scanners have to be human operated, and they effectively let the operator see you, or your wife, or your teenage daughter, naked. This happens to spark the debate are they helpful or harmful Several different systems are in place but according to an article in the Washington Post, the main two technologies seen in airports today are called backscatter x-ray and millimeter-wave (How Full Body Scanners Work). The article explores how the two technologies work. Backscatter x-ray gives out a much gentler burst of x-rays than the baggage system does, which makes it non harmful to you. Once it sends the rays, it detects the ones that bounce back from your body to the machine. Any type of baggie, liquid or ceramic knife