New scanner technology at RIC will help protect passengers' privacy

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Sept. 01--New scanner technology will better protect the privacy of air travelers selected to undergo full-body screening at Richmond International Airport.

The Transportation Security Administration has installed improved body-scanner software at RIC that eliminates displaying the actual image of the passenger, showing instead only a generic outline of a passenger.

The "automated target recognition" system in the airport's imaging machines detects metallic and nonmetallic items that could pose a security threat.

The earlier version of the imaging system built a revealing 3-D picture of the person's body, which was checked for contraband by a security officer located out of sight of the scanner.

Many travelers objected to the loss of privacy. "It's embarrassing," said Shayna Woolford of Henrico County, applauding the increased confidentiality of the latest technology.

The new system is faster, taking seconds to resolve whether a detected object poses a real threat, TSA spokesman Kawika Riley said at a scanner demonstration Wednesday.

On a monitor, the scanner highlights potential threat items as yellow symbols shown on a generic outline of a person.

"The passenger can see the same information the officer sees," Riley said, "so it allows more open communication."

The TSA has four of the upgraded scanners at RIC. It is installing the new software in the scanners at 40 U.S. airports, including Washington Dulles International and Reagan Washington National.

pbacque@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6813