The uproar over airport scanners and privacy continues with Gizmodo reporting that 100 "naked" body scans were improperly saved. The images were published on the website after identifying features were removed. Gizmodo reports that the scans were sourced from a courthouse in Orlando, Florida, where US marshalls had improperly stored the images. Joel Johnson at Gizmodo says the images shows the privacy concerns are very real. "That we can see these images today almost guarantees that others will be seeing similar images in the future. If you're lucky, it might even be a picture of you or your family."
Protests about the scanners are continuing. There is an Internet campaign urging people to refuse the scans on Wednesday this week in what is being called National Opt-Out Day. The extra time needed to pat down people could cause a cascade of delays at airports.
So why did the administration go ahead with the scanners when they knew there would be an outcry?
Government officials talk about security and terrorists but Fredereka Schouten at USA Today points to a more obvious reason: the companies with multimillion-dollar contracts to supply American airports with body-scanning machines more than doubled their spending on lobbying in the last five years. That's why, pure and simple.
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