Watch Out for the Fat Ones

There was this article on CNET recently that discussed new scanners that can see through clothing. This isn’t exactly very surprising news, and of course there is the usual hoopla about privacy and concerns over the abuse of the technology. I guess it would be better than an invasive strip search, but they both sound bad, blah blah blah. What I really want to call to attention is this blurb:

Thwarting body-scanning technology would be simple, he argues. Because of concerns about radiation, body scanners are designed not to penetrate the skin. All that’s needed is someone heavily overweight to go through the system, he said. I won’t quote him directly on the details; suffice it to say he posits that a weapon or explosives pack could be tucked into flabby body folds that won’t be penetrated by the scanner.

Awesome quote! I can see the gym ads now: Get in shape, because you wouldn’t want to be mistaken for a terrorist! and We want you… to lose some weight!

Elsewhere Online | Kabitzin 5/27/2005