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 ® 
simple solution for all of you that don’t like security at airports: Don’t fly. It’s not a right. It’s not a necessity. It’s a privilege granted by the US Government as long as you abide by the laws.
If you don’t like being checked for weapons, please take a bus.
I have a simple solution for you pansy-assed cowards and bed-wetting ninnies always begging for the government to come and save you: move to North Korea where arguments about liberty and justice are moot. Or just stay at home, hiding under your table from the terrorists. Then free and courageous Americans will go about our business on whatever modes of travel we choose without being sexually assaulted and bombarded with radiation by undereducated losers in government costumes.
go back and write your blog about Big Foot..or is it how the Govt was actually behind 9/11??
People like you aren’t much more than morons with keyboards
Your wrong, travel between the states is a right and the courts have ruled on the airfair question already. Mr Wayward, go live in a place where you are coddled and protected, we don’t need your ilk here.
Risk avoidance in such a case is absolutely worthless. It’s like saying don’t eat if you’re afraid of any food problems, don’t cross a road if you don’t like car crashes. Perhaps you’ve never been out of your own little town before but for people who travel across half the globe, unfortunately buses are NOT an option. Besides, it’s not a privilege, it IS a right. And the article is not about “being checked for weapons”, it is specifically about the TSA nude body scanners. It also specifically says that the previous “being checked for weapons” method should be used and another method should be implemented for non-metallic explosives.
So please read the article carefully before you try to put your completely meaningless ideas out to the universe.
I believe that we are incorrect with excusing all the security and loss of rights as being the result of 9-11.
It all has to do with the collapsing economy and not terrorism.
In 1980, the futurists within government knew full well that government and corporations were not gonna be able to honor all the promises made to the working class since the end of World War II.
Free Trade was a means of allowing the Rich Folks to move their money and assets offshore and not be subject to legal seizure methods brought by any member of the Working Class whose retirement promises were abandoned.
It was Bill Clinton who first introduced the Patriot Act and appointed a “domestic military czar”. Clinton and his furturists recognized the decline of the American empire.
Google:
Presidential Decision Directive 62, Protection Against Unconventional Threats to the Homeland and Overseas, dated May 1998, and Presidential Decision Directive 39.
It is senseless to give airports such a security infrastructure and not chemical plants and railways.
The reason that Airlines have been protected to such an extreme is because that is how the Ruling Class travel. They have already began allowing Rich Folks the ability to bypass security with a special card. Rich Folks don’t want to be hasseled at airports by angry crowds as the economy crumbles.
There are thousands and thousands of deadly chemicals passing through the center of each city in North America via the railway. It would be very simple for anybody to attack a railway tanker car and the result would be the deaths of thousands upon thousands.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/s_487117.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/expose/episode202/index.html
There are 15 thousand chemical facilities in the U.S.. In fact, DHS relaxed the rules for chemical storage within these plants in 2007.
A study by the Army surgeon general, conducted soon after 9/11, found that up to 2.4 million people could be killed or wounded by a terrorist attack on a single chemical plant.
Additional Information:
http://www.dotandcalm.com/calm-archive/EconomicNotes.html
Calm
Death to the TSA and Death to American !
No really, i care less about safety and the BS, I lost 30 friends in 911 and while tragic it’s i don’t dwell over it.
People die every single second of every day its a part of life. Living in fear that some towel heads are going to bomb a plane out of the sky accomplishes nothing at all.
Living in fear is the worst death one can suffer, conquer your fear and you conquer death itself.
You are a tool.
Being free comes at a cost. Some people are overly concerned about the process that we have to go through when flying. Is it perfect? Nope. Are they trying? Yup. I could care less about showing my “junk” to someone if it may make my trip safer. Like I said, it’s not perfect but what system is? Some people are quick to criticize but have no useful suggestions in return. Put up or shut up.
You have the “freedom” to decide whether to fly or not. Nobody is forcing you. Same as if you don’t like driving through tunnels, you can take the bridge instead. Don’t want to pay tolls? Take the back roads. Don’t like McDonalds? Heck, eat at White Castle.
I think you just need a big cup of shut the F up. Can I get some for you?
“We spend our time searching for security and hate it when we get it.” – John Steinbeck
Fred, You are the tool – of the government. You don’t have legitimate choices when the only ones you have are given to you by the government! If someone gives you the choice of having your legs amputated, or having your arms amputated, is that okay, because you have “choices”? Now we have the choice of going through the inconvenience of the TSA security theater, or spending more time and money to drive to our destination. But even that is only temporary, as the TSA is already rolling out mobile scanners to harass people who drive in order to avoid the airport nonsense.
I have one word as my reply for you.
“Yawn”
Real snappy comeback Fred. I’m so embarrassed!
Fred, you don’t understand what freedom means at all, do you?
“….You have the “freedom” to decide whether to fly or not. Nobody is forcing you.”
You are either being intellectually deceitful and manipulative with words or else you have extremely poor reasoning skills.
You say “nobody is forcing you (to fly)”. But the real issue here is whether or not we are being forced to NOT fly, either directly through no fly lists or marginally less directly by making the flying experience so inconvenient, intrusive, dangerous to health, ideologically/ morally offensive that it becomes unacceptable to us.
The “nobody’s forcing you to do X” argument only works if there are *alternatives* available.
If a woman complains about an abusive partner we can say “nobody is forcing you to stay in an abusive relationship” because this is true – there are many kind, respectful men out there. But if all men abused women and kept them as slaves then we *couldn’t* use this argument.
Likewise, because all airports are being forced to comply with to this policy of using scanners and TSA we also can’t use the argument “nobody’s forcing you to fly”.
You also said we have “….the freedom to *decide* whether to fly or not…”. This is NOT the same as having the “freedom to fly”.
If all restaurants were forced by the government to serve food laced with traces of arsenic you could also say “you have the freedom to *decide* whether to dine out or not”. This might be correct, however it’s a thoroughly deceitful and manipulative phrase. In practical terms such a policy would absolutely be an attack on our freedom to dine out.
It is clear that our freedom to fly IS being steadily eroded. The difference between accepting a policy of airport INsecurity with body scanners and TSA groping and accepting a policy of no flying at all is one of degrees only. The latter is simply a progression of the former.
If the trend continues flying will no longer be a freedom which we enjoy.
Of course the reply is the shut the uck up. Criticism of the system is unwarranted right?
I will NEVER trade my LIBERTY for safety. According to Ben Franklin I would NOT DESERVE EITHER.
The molestation of children in the name of safety is unwarranted.
The molestation of senior citizens is unwarranted.
The molestation of the disabled is unwarranted.
The molestation of the law abiding citizen is unwarranted.
The molestation of Rep. Ron Paul was unwarranted.
We have a Constitution that LIMITS GOVERNMENT INTRUSION.
We have Rights that are given by God Almighty and NOT by the Government.
The Constitution is the Law of the Land.
That means that I have the RIGHT to write this.
You can agree or disagree and that is your RIGHT.
The scanners are not effective. Metal detecors are not effective.
On the other hand FREEDOM is effective. If EVERYONE aboard those four jets was ARMED TO THE HILT on 9 11 01 the WTC would still be standing. If I had been on those aircraft and armed I would have SHOT THOSE BASTARDS DEAD. That is WHY WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS…FOR A MILITIA TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM BASTARS LIKE THAT.
Do you see what limiting rights does? It serves to make us weak.
FREEDOM IS THE ANSWER. Not a Billion Dollar boondoggle that serves to undermine our freedoms.
Then and only then will we have safety and peace. Give peace a chance. But if peace does not cut it you must be able to defend yourself…
Those ‘bastards’ you speak of was the US Government, not some terrorist organization. US Government brought those buildings down, not some jet crashing into it.
I wish I lived near Canada, then I could just drive over the border and fly from there.
Just create a “muslim only airline” and we can eliminate TSA…lol
I fly just about every week. I would much rather go through the scanners and have the TSA there than deal with the potential threats. I do so knowing no technology is fool proof, but by cutting down the risks, we are better off. If you don’t want to go through the scanner, opt to be scanned with a wand and patted down. If you don’t want any of that, take a train. You have choices. Just because you think you shouldn’t have to go through security, don’t try to endanger those of us that regularly fly and are thankful someone is trying to prevent disasters from happening. By the way, show me in the Bill of Rights where it states you have a “Right to Privacy”.
How about giving everyone the choice of flights where you don’t have to go through the expensive, intrusive and ineffective TSA security sham? I would get in that line. After people see that the line moves faster, and planes aren’t being blown out of the sky, those lines will fill up quickly.
P.S. I’m glad to see that you are against the supreme court’s decision that there is a right to privacy in the Constitution. That would mean that abortion is illegal.
You do realize that you are more likely to die in the drive to the airport, or even by eating a peanut, than encountering a terrorist, right?
We should have security at airports.
This video proves that TSA isn’t doing that.
I’m sorry you are so fearful. You probably should just stay home cowering under your bed.
“….You do realize that you are more likely to die in the drive to the airport, or even by eating a peanut, than encountering a terrorist, right?….”
Yes but only statistically (ie empirically, in terms of evidence).
*Emotionally* speaking terrorism is a far more *terrifying* an idea/ concept/ imaginary scenario than choking on a peanut, or even dying in a road traffic accident. That’s why it’s called ‘TERROR-ism’. It’s damn scary!
Surely the best way to organise society is based on these kinds of irrational emotions, fears, prejudices, anxiety, neurosis, delusions, fantasy etc rather than hard evidence, rationality, statistics and critical thinking?
…. OK I admit that doesn’t sounds quite right. Let me rephrase that!
… er….
Um….just hang on a moment while I rethink what ‘terrorism’ actually means.
Great Job ! I knew the TSA would turn into an big mess (I’m trying to be nice) from day one….like every other Government Agency. I have been in the Aviation business for 40 years, this really takes the cake’.
Let’s not be affraid to ‘stand up to them (our Government)’, they are all cowards anyway.
Not sure if the metal was missed because of macine or the TSA agent distracted by his/her crack pipe.
Just don’t want to waste any more of my time arguing with someone who is clearly part of the entitlement mentality which has caused most of the problems our country has right now.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Scrapthescanners/
http://scrapthescanners.wordpress.com/
Shows how brilliant you are Fred. I’m as anti-entitlement as anyone you have ever met. You, obviously are radically pro-government entitlement. So sorry that any opinion that is different than your big government agenda is a waste of your time.
Is there a petition on change.org? I’ll sign it.
Why yes, there is:
https://www.change.org/petitions/the-united-states-government-eliminate-the-tsa
At a guess, you haven’t found the hole that Ben Gurion did. I passed through that airport a little while ago, and they’re using scanners taking thirty seconds per bag. For every bag, of every passenger. The tailbacks are enormous because they’re serious about security. If BG were to get these scanners, they’d be used in conjunction with metal detectors, not in place of them. There’s some other hole in the system, presumably along the lines of plastic exposive != distinguishable from human skin.
“An evil exists that threatens every man, woman and child of this great nation. We must take steps to ensure our domestic security and protect our homeland.”
-Adolf Hitler, when announcing to Gestapo to the people.
The TSA with its ridiculous DNA zapping body scanner machines, the out of control paranoid ‘conspiracy theory’ narrative which now tells us that our own children might be ‘terrorists’ with bombs in their underpants, even the government which imposes such inhuman madness on the public by force… none of it represents the cause of problems we now face as a society (as a civilisation even!). They are all symptoms.
If they are merely the effect then what is the cause?
If they are merely symptoms then what is the disease?
QUESTION: What do all policy makers, voters, TSA employees, dictators, ‘occupy’ protestors, voters, the TV watching masses, tyrants, maniacs, teachers, newsreaders, bloggers (etc) all have in common?
What common denominator connects Hitler, the people of 1930’s Germany, Bush, Obama, the TSA and YOU?
ANSWER: All of us were schooled under the Prussian system. Not for a day but for hundreds of thousands of hours and at a time when we were at our most impressionable and vulnerable – when we were ideologically and behaviourally still a ‘blank slate’).
Let’s look there first, for goodness sake! 🙂
Yeah, the metal detectors worked great, too.
Got on a flight in Atlanta to Seattle with a metal pocket watch.
(Forgot to take it out of my pocket.)
I agree with Archie Bunker – issue guns to everyone when they
board the plane. 😉
Did Archie Bunker say that? Hell I am finding that I agree with hime more and more as I grow older. He was right. Issue guns to everyone. Problem solved.
Remember the shoe bomber? Anything under the soles of your feet would be invisible to the scanners as well. It would be childsplay to get a blade through that way, even if they made us turn 360 degrees, to get scans of our sides.
And you haven’t refuted his argument at all, which makes your comment irrelevant.
Follow the money ….
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-chicago/obama-linked-to-tsa-scanner-s-supplier-extra-video-of-tsa-ad-snl-style
I fly to Panama month ago. I had pocket knife in my computer bag. Completly forgot about it and it went all the way there and came back home safely. Stupid TSA
What we need is profiling. Best method ever.
These machines are not about detecting explosives in so much as they are deployed to radiate (cancer) and humiliate, and provide jollies to the staff. Who are the terrorists? They know who they are.
Make it mandatory for all cockpit crew to carry firearms AT ALL TIMES, not to padlock them into their holsters when out of the cockpit. Give the flight attendants tasers with beanbag shotguns locked in the galley. Allow all citizens with concealed handgun permits to carry. If necessary have an enhanced background check as an endorsement on their permit for flying armed. Bullets DO NOT cause explosive decompressions.
No, you fail for misunderstanding Godwin’s Law, which merely states that the longer an argument goes on, the more likely an analogy to Hitler is. It doesn’t state that the person who makes the analogy is automatically the loser of the argument.
Ben Gurion also allows you to carry beverages through security and does not make [most] people take off their shoes — and they know more about security than all the U.S. security people put together.
verry good site and content
It’s simple… Always walk people through the metal detector as well.
I ALWAYS opt of of the “scanners” – and most airports don’t make me walk through the metal detector if I opt out. In fact the metal detectors mostly just sit there now..
It would take 1 second to make sure I don’t have a knife stuck up my butt.. But no – they say that there’s no need to and one guy said he’s basically looking for bomb belts. Because they know best – haha..
Security theater… Such a waste..
When the pilots start going through – I’ll go through..
Educating the terrorists on how to beat the machines, eh? Good job, man. Good job.
Educating the terrorists on how to beat the machines? Good job, man. Good job.
if a flaw this blaring clear was brought to the attention of microsoft regarding a hack, you would have an security update of your computer first thing in the morning, no matter how complicated.
this specific example is also extremely easy to resolve. when you scan someone, just scan them also from both sides. Or from 3 sides each at 120 degree angle.
TSA would have come out with the statement that they improved the scanner procedure and that would be it.
but instead, they come out with a statement defending that everything is honky donky OK and no changes be made.
so my question: is this stupidity, oversight, malpractise, arrogance or neglect? Probably all the above.
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exit question:
what if I put a metal object , a razor between my feet and sock?
I bet $100 that that would not be picked up either and that cannot be scanned with my suggested 2 extra angles.
and what is worse: a pad-down won’t find this either, I have never seen them pad on the bottom of that ticklish feet of people…
don’t know on metal detectors but the object would be very close to the ground so it may be hard to detect.
from now on. I will fly with El-Al
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Thanks for making this video and the work you are doing on the legal side! I’ve only flown a few times since the cancer machines have been put in place and I always opt out. So far, the TSA agents that have given me the pat downs have been polite and not touched my crotch. I know how ineffective they are, though, particularly on the ‘no liquids more than 3 oz’ rule. I carried back a 16 oz jug of maple syrup and a 4 oz bottle of sorghum syrup from NYC. The TSA agent that went through my bag AFTER it went through the scanner never noticed them, she just pulled out the 4 oz jar of maple cream that was on the top and threw it away (she gave me the option to go back to the ticket counter and check my bag, but I would have had to go through the pat down again). I certainly wasn’t going to tell her about the maple syrup in the bottom of the bag that was not noticed by the person running the scanner. Ugh. This system is so incredibly broken. Keep up your work!
This information and the video showing you pull it off is quite scary to say the least.
But, it makes you sound like a looney with an agenda to end the video talking about the arms deal in Mexico. FYI. Keep your posts and rants about one thing and you will garner more attention. Otherwise you sound like an ‘against the government’ type fringe character.