The European Union will next month adopt new
rules limiting the use of full-body security scanners at airports,
the bloc's executive said Monday.
Privacy groups have led an outcry against the machines, which
require air passengers to stand for a few seconds in a walk-through
cabin while the scanner checks for guns or explosives concealed under
clothing. Early devices created a nude image of the passenger.
E.U. rules, to be effective from next month, state that the machines
should provide "a matchstick" rendering of passengers or,
alternatively, blur their faces, European Commission transport
spokeswoman Helen Kearns said.
Security will be prevented from storing, copying or printing the
images and staff reviewing them must be in a separate location from
passengers undergoing checks. Travellers should also be free to opt
out of the body scan and choose an alternative form of screening,
Kearns added.
Body scanners are currently used at airports in Britain and the
Netherlands. In August, German authorities postponed plans to
introduce them after a testing period revealed that U.S.-made machines
triggered too many false alerts.
Kearns said E.U. countries remain free to decide whether to
introduce the scanners, but stressed that the new technology improves
security and reduces queues at airports.
