The government has assured us that the images made from “Digital Strip Search”” imaging technologies like millimeter wave and backscatter imaging wouldn’t be saved. They lied. It turns out the U.S. Marshals Service saved more than 35,000 “whole body” images of people who entered a U.S. courthouse in Orlando, Fla.
And, if the U.S. Marshals Service can do this, why should we trust the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to keep their word about deleting these images? I can’t think of any good reason, can you?
Oh, I’m sure the TSA policy will be to delete the images … except for, oh I don’t know, if they do think they spot a bomb on someone. Then, they’d want to keep the image in case in the resulting search there’s a rumpus and the passenger sues them for an unreasonable search. Or, say some near-minimum-wage TSA contractor thinks you’re really hot and wants to keep your naked image as a keepsake. Or, he or she thinks your x-ray unclad photo is hilarious and wants to share it with their buddies on Facebook. You get the idea.