This video is here to demonstrate that the TSA’s insistence that the nude body scanner program is effective and necessary is nothing but a fraud, just like their claims that the program is safe (radiation what?) and non-invasive (nude pictures who?). The scanners are now effectively worthless, as anyone can beat them with virtually no effort. The TSA has been provided this video in advance of it being made public to give them an opportunity to turn off the scanners and revert to the metal detectors. I personally believe they now have no choice but to turn them off.
Please share this video with your family, friends, and most importantly, elected officials in federal government. Make sure they understand that your vote is contingent on them fixing the abuse that 200,000 passengers face from the TSA on a daily basis.
My legal battle against the TSA’s nude body scanner and pat-down molestation program continues in court, soon with a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. If you’d like to donate to this effort, send PayPal to: jon [at] fourtentech.com
I’d like to thank:
Travel Underground – http://www.travelunderground.org/
Freedom to Travel USA – http://fttusa.org/
Legislators who have stood up to the TSA – especially Dr. Ron Paul & Sen. Rand Paul
…and all those who have both publicly and privately stood up to the TSA.
Add me on Twitter: @tsaoutourpants (no “of”)
Transcript:
I’m publishing this video because I want the world to know how much danger the American Transportation Security Administration is putting all us all in with their haste to deploy the expensive, invasive nude body scanner program. When the machines came out, we were told that the invasion on our privacy, doses of radiation, and trashing of our Constitution were necessary because the old metal detectors weren’t good enough. That “non-metallic explosives” were a threat, even though no one has boarded a plane in the US with any type of explosive in nearly 40 years. But while America was testing these devices, Rafi Sela, who ran security for Ben Gurion airport in Israel, which is known for being one of the most secure airports in the world, was quoted saying he could “overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to take down a Boeing 747,” and Ben Gurion therefore refused to buy scanners. The US ignored this warning, and Mr. Sela never publicly explained his statement. But it stuck with me.
As a scientist, engineer, and frequent traveler, as well as the first person to sue the TSA when they rolled out the scanners as primary in Nov. 2010, I studied and learned about both kinds of scanners currently in use by the TSA. Here are several images produced by TSA nude body scanners. You’ll see that the search victim is drawn with light colors and placed on a black background in both images. In these samples, the individuals are concealing metallic objects that you can see as a black shape on their light figure. Again that’s light figure, black background, and BLACK threat items. Yes that’s right, if you have a metallic object on your side, it will be the same color as the background and therefore completely invisible to both visual and automated inspection.
It can’t possibly be that easy to beat the TSA’s billion dollar fleet of nude body scanners, right? The TSA can’t be that stupid, can they?
Unfortunately, they can, and they are. To put it to the test, I bought a sewing kit from the dollar store, broke out my 8th grade home ec skills, and sewed a pocket directly on the side of a shirt. Then I took a random metallic object, in this case a heavy metal carrying case that would easily alarm any of the “old” metal detectors, and walked through a backscatter x-ray at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. On video, of course. While I’m not about to win any videography awards for my hidden camera footage, you can watch as I walk through the security line with the metal object in my new side pocket. My camera gets placed on the conveyer belt and goes through its own x-ray, and when it comes out, I’m through, and the object never left my pocket.
Maybe a fluke? Ok, let’s try again at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport through one of the TSA’s newest machines: a millimeter wave scanner with automated threat detection built-in. With the metallic object in my side pocket, I enter the security line, my device goes through its own x-ray, I pass through, and exit with the object without any complaints from the TSA.
While I carried the metal case empty, by one with mal-intent, it could easily have been filled with razor blades, explosives, or one of Charlie Sheen’s infamous 7 gram rocks of cocaine. With a bigger pocket, perhaps sewn on the inside of the shirt, even a firearm could get through. It’s important to note that any metal object of any size can use this technique. …and I don’t urge you to try to bring contraband through security, as the nude body scanners often have false positives: so while the metal on your side might get through, a button on your shirt or a sweaty armpit might “look suspicious” and earn you a pat down anyway.
Now, I’m sure the TSA will accuse me of aiding the terrorists by releasing this video, but it’s beyond belief that the terrorists haven’t already figured this out and are already plotting to use this against us. It’s also beyond belief that the TSA did not already know everything I just told you, and arrogantly decided to disregard our safety: anything to force Americans to give up our liberty to the federal government and our tax dollars to companies that are in bed with that government. The nude body scanner program is nothing but a giant fraud, which should come as no surprise after the Fast & Furious scandal that sent thousands of guns to Mexican drug cartels and cost a Customs and Border Patrol agent his life. THIS is a disgrace. So let’s fix this problem — now — before the terrorists take this opportunity to hurt us: the TSA must immediately end the nude body scanner program, and return to the tried-and-true metal detectors that actually work, and work without invading our privacy, as well as implement better solutions for non-metallic explosives, such as bomb-sniffing dogs and trace detection machines.
The TSA is worse than ineffective: they are an epic fail placing us all in danger. Beyond the scanners, Demand of your legislators and presidential candidates that they get rid of this $8B a year waste known as the TSA and privatize airport security. Ask for their commitment to our rights in exchange for your vote. And no matter which party is in the White House or holds on to Capital Hill, the issue of ending TSA abuse is of interest to all Americans; it’s NOT a partisan issue. We must all stand together and demand an end to the organization that molests our families while placing us in danger by directly ignoring blatant security flaws.
Thank you.
Professional Troublemaker ® 
How do you think George Washington would have reacted to a scanner, or getting groped?
I like the video and appreciate your efforts. But you lose me when you call for privatizing TSA. Why? It sounds like a well-intentioned and misguided Libertarian effort. Not everything needs to be privatized – privatizing is a way to hand over the keys to the kingdom to the corporate elite. American tax payers have done okay by paving our own roads, building our own infrastructure (even if we haven’t kept it up), libraries work fine and on and on before the Panama Canal – government projects are not the problem. It is corrupt leaders. Yes, someone was handed a large contract for these ridiculous, useless body scanners — find that person and fire them. STOP THE BANTER FOR PRIVATIZATION.
Please read my FAQ post. 🙂
this doesn’t mean $1 billion of our tax dollars were wasted. It just means people should pose sideways for the pics too.
Please read my FAQ post. 🙂
BTW, these are not just “pics” to “pose” for. This is your body being imaged by the use of radiation.
I get the privacy issues but the radiation part is where people are becoming ignorant. As an aircraft mechanic I have worked on many aircraft radar systems in my life. saying you dont want radiation from the scanners is like saying im allergic to water right before you jump in the ocean. I forget the exact numbers but im sure I can look them up easily. Either way, the amount of radiation your get from one scan is the equivalent to 2 minutes of time flying. so basically after a little 3 hr flight you could have gotten scanned 90 times.. yea its true. just shows how much people would rather bitch than actually be knowledgable.
This is not only of interest to Americans, but to everyone who values peace and safety – and who doesn’t?
I read the solution that a second scan be made with the person turned 90 degrees left or right. A probably less time consuming idea would be that 2 scans are made simultaneously, at a 45 or 135 degree angle from one another.
The Israeli’s use a very simple method to stop terrorists. They talk to the passengers. A trained agent would only need 2 minutes of conversation to spot a would be killer. Every cop on the job, every parent of a teenager knows when he or she is being lied to. The scanners are a hoax.
The mic you’re holding is being made worthless by the way you’re holding it. It seems to be an AT2020 USB side address mic no?
Don’t talk into the end of it, talk into the grill on the side of it just above the blue light and it’ll sound heaps better
Discouraging a group of drug activities, which effect in America and the taking action to sell the drugs in America might be deterred by providing more advanced anti-drug networking technology on the floors in the airports and the like. This kind of restrain from taking action can symbolically play an influence on the drug trade business,help improve airport,land-to-land drug scandals and avoid deaths.
-Author of The Sheqel: A Strategic Intelligence Manuscript
What’s stopping them from combining the the body scanner with a metal detector? Then you would have no case. Its a simple fix. Even if they put the metal detector after the scanner it would work. They will catch both metallic and non metallic threats.
1) You presuppose that we need this level of security. The actual facts are there have been 0 suicidal airline passengers with working non-metallic bombs that have caused any injury on US flights covering the LAST 50 YEARS. In other words, we have spent hundreds of million dollars stopping something that hasn’t happened in half a century. The only documented non-metallic bomb (a liquid bomb) in recent history was in 1997 in Brazil, and 1 person was killed and the plane landed safely. If we had spent the same money on giving away free fire detectors with batteries, the odds are we would have saved many lives.
2) If we did adopt your method, we would have to spend more money on a relatively non-existent threat and increase waiting times at airports. You should ask yourself, if you TRULY believe this is needed, why do you fly today? Around 60% of passengers do NOT go through scanners. 40% are coerced into scanners, except those in wheelchairs who have their crotches “cleared” via unwanted touching.
This means 100% of passengers are not being tested to meet the most rigorous passenger screening you have proposed. So, if one thinks that is needed, than I can only assume one is too scared to fly. If one is not too scared to fly today, then clearly the “double screening” is not needed.
3) All logic aside, the double screening would need to have a 3rd screening added….the cavity search. Women are well-positioned to smuggle items through both metal detectors and scanners, and all people have another orifice for concealment. Multiple “bad people” could collate their individual “smuggled items” together for maximum effect.
So, the triple-screening is likely the secure option one would have to support to fight nearly non-existent threats.
What’s stopping them is that the case I used in my exploit doesn’t actually have to be metal, it just has to be dense.
–Jon
Millimeter wave scanners are useless and potentially dangerous. However, there is one scanner on the market that will “see” anything.
Its called ODIN and is made by a small American company, Valley Forge Composite Technologies. It is an ultra-low radiation, full body scanner. The technology comes from Russia. From a radiation exposure perspective, it delivers about as much radiation as you are going to get on the medium-long flight in the plane you are about to board.
It is the only scanner in the world that can detect sheet PETN, as well as breast and butt bombs. (Yes, the terrorist have already used the last two.)
Of course TSA doesn’t use the best one. Maybe because it isn’t made by GE or one of the other beltway bandits?
Well, glad to see they have just been trying to catch a peak of my goodies
We don’t have airport security in the US. We have Airport Security Theater. Want to know why we have these scanners? Check the price tag again….I wonder if any of the Congressmen who approved this expenditure were lobbied by the companies who manufacture them? I wonder if the Congressmen have a financial interest in the companies who make them? I know I don’t feel safer because of the TSA…..I think they do a lousy job. Why can kids keep their shoes on? Because terrorists would never use a child as a weapon? Perhaps we should spend the money wasted on these devices to TRAIN TSA agents in profiling….not racial profiling, but behavioral profiling. Maybe we should require college degrees for our TSA agents….or would that be “too pricey?” (Like those cockpit doors the airline industry won’t pay for.)
infrared works on heat. The smily face ink caused a difference in heat radiation (black ink absorbs) so you could see it. You were not seeing through the clothes. That same heat differential applies to other body parts, the armpits are warmer that the chest so you can see the pits easier. Not through the clothes, just the heat radiated.
As a frequent flier, here is a tip I can give – the best secret in airports – a company called Thanks Again.
I earn tons of extra miles shopping, dinning and shopping at almost every US airport.
Check them out: http://www.ThanksAgain.com
Good luck everyone!
BTW… I just got back from short trip to USA and back and a security person on Amsterdam airport has discovered that I have been carrying a folding knife along with my camera. That mean I have gone through three security checkpoints including two TSA (JFK and IAD) without anybody noticing. (And God knows how many trips the knife was there, I don’t really remember putting it there…)
To those mental midgets that state flying is not a right and you don’t have to fly, I will throw this back at you. Get rid of TSA and their body scans, if you think that makes flying unsafe, then YOU don’t have to fly, its not a right.
The TSA has saved no one and prevented nothing.
Reminds of a stupid parable.
A little boy, living in the USA, every morning, before leaving for school, spins around three times while reciting abracadabra…his father asks “Why do you do that?”. The boy replies “It prevents elephants from stampeding over me on the way to school”. The father states “silly, there are no elephants here”. “SEE IT WORKS”, replies the boy.
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Reblogged this on keithmilby and commented:
The TSA was supposed to be about security but instead it is a government agency that has a 50% turnover and they advertise on pizza delivery boxes fro workers
Thousands of illegal items are prevented from getting onto planes every day. Can you stop to think there may be information you may not be privy to? You have no idea what you’re talking about.
The TSA misses something like 80% of threat items. So if thousands are being prevented, tens of thousands pass. Yet, no airplanes are falling from the sky…
Personally I want to sue the TSA because when I went through the scanner at LAX before ever hearing about what they were and had no idea that they would see me naked or even my shape without my consent. I didn’t knowingly do it nor was I told. Had I had a choice I may have chosen a pat down or something else and feel really violated. Do I have a case? I think so. Right? Anybody know?
Hi Chris, I’m not an attorney and this is not legal advice, but I do believe that you have a case. Administrative searches are based on consent, and one cannot give meaningful consent if uninformed of the searches to be performed. –Jon
1. If citizens of THE USA got together and protested………………..those scanners would be gone in a flash……………………They are a violation of THE U.S. CONSTITUTION………………..ILLEGAL SEACH AND SEIZURE.
2. We could all boycott flying …………………scanners/pat downs, etc. gone.
3. We could all refuse scanners and request a pat down……………..that would clog things up.
4. We could all insist on the old metal detectors.
Really………………..all the scanners ……………..metal detectors…………..pat downs are all a farse……………………a test by the U.S. Government……..stating will the people object to the above or not? If they do not…………….Next we will tell them that they have to dance to the Rumba if they want to get on the plane, etc., etc., etc.
The people go along with the above abuse by the government…………the people can expect more abuse by the government.
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE…………………..MAKE SURE YOU CAN PROTEST AT THE AIRPORT……….THERE APPARENTLY IS A LAW STATING THAT ONE CAN NOT PROTEST IN SOME PLACES WHICH IS ILLEGAL AS WELL…SEE……………IF YOU DO IT WILL BE FELONY…………….ANOTHER LAW PUT IN PLACE WHILE YOU WERE BEING CONCERNED ABOUT the scanners.
WHY ARE THE PEOPLE ALLOWING THIS?
I went to Honolulu from the local airport (Fort Walton Beach,FLorida). My daughter and I were traveling on vacation. I am 69 and she is 46. We were both born in the USA and have lived here our entire lives. The local TSA was having a “training” exercise and was using ONLY the naked scanner. Talk about long lines! I was selected to be raped by the TSA! I long ago quit wearing anything but the most minimal jewelry. I also quit wearing bras with wires aS i WAS SO TIRED OF BEING HASSELED! I was a flight attendant for 36 years and am also a Registered Nurse. I only fly now days when I have to fly overwater. If I can drive, I do it.
Hi Diane, I agree, I will be driving the RV 1800 miles this month to avoid flying. Four days of travel instead of four hours of travel, but I will do it a free man.
We no longer take vacations in Hawaii, suppose that we were there on vacation and the TSA arbitrarily changed their policies to cavity searches? We would not submit and we’d be stuck in Hawaii. Sometimes we still fly on long coast to coast trips, but at least by vacationing exclusively in the continental US we retain the option to rent a car and drive the if TSA insists on sexual assault as a condition of flying. We can’t end up stuck in the middle of the Pacific.
No one has boarded a plane with ANY type of explosive in nearly 40 years ??? You might want to check out these websites, do some more research, and get your facts straight:
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-7003334.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/world/middleeast/us-says-terrorist-plot-to-attack-plane-foiled.html
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/12/al_qaeda_detroit_airliner_clai.html
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-12-25/justice/richard.reid.shoe.bomber_1_terror-attacks-american-airlines-flight-qaeda?_s=PM:CRIME
http://articles.cnn.com/2012-05-07/middleeast/world_meast_yemen-qaeda-plot_1_aqap-bomb-plot-al-qaeda-leader?_s=PM:MIDDLEEAST
Underwear bomber, shoe bomber, 9/11……. etc etc etc etc. The list of terrorist events involving airlines goes on and on.
Some of the explosives that were not even able to reach the planes were due to a FOILED ATTACK. It shows the strength and determination of DHS. They are fulfilling their mission and vision. They are not crushing your constitution. Instead, they are protecting their customers; their passengers, their employees, the airport employees, and even OUR NATION.
Trust me, if someone were to carry in a firearm or explosive on their side, it would be noticed without a doubt…… Why do you think there have been so many foiled attacks? Your lack of information and research has lead you to this video. You should truly do some more research and get your “facts” straightened out there…
Why am I not surprised that your IP address is DC-area? My video stated that no one has boarded a plane from any ***US AIRPORT*** with an explosive in 40 years. All of the links you’ve provided are in accord with that statement. Regarding research and facts, I’ve done research. I’ve brought undetected objects through nude body scanners — on film. Where is *your* research and facts?
Yesterday May 11, 2012 I was flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to Orlando via Atlanta. I arrived about 10 am, checked my bags and then onto security. We were divided and sent upstairs to a smaller – cramped area – but ok. After clearing the first hurdle – and stuck in the line – the man in the next line told the TSA agent that he had forgotten his license in his truck – He had NO picture id of any kind – His son had sent a picture to his phone of his drivers license – and the TSA agent accepted – even commented on how smart his son is.
Really this is how we protect our citizens. A pic on a cell phone of a license.
I did complain to TSA after going thru the metal detector and watching people being searched who if profiled – would not raise concern…yet someone can walk thru with a picture of an id
Who is to say that is was not photo shopped….
You cant complain because you dont know the process. I was unlucky enough to get my wallet stolen the night before a flight and I went through the same process. I reality they do act cool like its no big deal, partly because it happens often I guess. Either way, I had to show them my prescription meds, a paper from school I had in my backpack luckily and the went though more extensive screening. It was a weird situation but I was extremely thankful
Great information 🙂
After watching this video – be sure to watch the David Icke one that is there.
Too bad you continued the propaganda of fear that is why we have a TSA in the first place. Our foreign policies are what creates “enemies.” Anyone that buys into the “they hate us for our freedom” is a fool. They hate us because we are aggressors around the world stealing the resources of sovereign nations. We have a law called the USA PATRIOT Act that was passed after our own government perpetrated an act of terrorism and blamed it on a CIA asset called “Al Qaeda.” Bin Laden worked for the CIA and had nothing to do with 9/11 but Americans bought it and while I applaud you pointing out more fraud in government suggesting that people are in danger because of terrorists is promoting a a propaganda campaign designed to grow the military/industrial complex.