Body scanner deployments continue amid uncertainty

The repercussions of the attempted 25 December 2009 airline bombing continue to be felt around the world, as the UK proceeded with the deployment of whole-body imagers at two airports; the policy of the European Commission (EC) and individual member states remains unclear; and the US government announced plans to procure hundreds of scanners.

In its Fiscal Year 2011 budget request, issued on 1 February, the Obama administration announced it intends to buy up to 500 body scanners at a cost of USD215 million for deployment at checkpoints in major US airports. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) already operates 40 of these machines at 19 airports, and expects to have around 200 in service by the end of 2010.

Despite this proactive stance, concerns remain that the technology not been tested rigorously enough by the TSA. A 31 December 2009 investigation from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General found that testing was incomplete; and on 27 January, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) urged the TSA to ensure that thorough operational and vulnerability trials are carried out before whole-body scanners are installed at checkpoints.

"TSA stated that it has completed the testing as of the end of 2009," the GAO said, adding it is still verifying whether the scanners "were tested in an operational environment".