By now, you’ve probably heard about those whole-body scanners that are being testing in some airports across the country. The scanners take a front-and-back image of travelers and penetrate through clothing to look for suspicious items, such as weapons and other contraband. The scanners are quick (15-30 seconds), they appear to be accurate, and they eliminate the need for a physical pat-down from TSA agents when travelers are taken aside for more screening.

But there’s an outcry that the scanners violate the privacy of those traveling through airports, and the complaints are getting louder. The image at right is of a woman scanned with backscatter technology; images such as this one create a fear that TSA agents sees passengers naked with this technology. The TSA counters these fears by noting that the current technology in use is called “millimeter wave” technology, and that the images produced are fuzzier and less defined than backscatter. But still, the can of worms was opened with photos like this, and now the debate rages.

Right now, six airports nationwide use the scanners in place of traditional metal detectors, while another 12 airports use them as a secondary screening techniques (for example, if someone repeatedly sets off the metal detector or is randomly selected for closer scrutiny). Advocates of the scanners note that almost everyone chosen for a pat-down will select the scanner over a TSA agent’s physical touch, and the scanners take just a fraction of the 2-4 minutes needed for a pat-down. So why the resistance to the technique?

CNN reports today that privacy advocates call the whole-body scanners an invasion of personal rights. The argument is that the TSA goes too far by essentially seeing the airport travelers naked (privacy advocates claim that any “blurriness” in images doesn’t address the underlying issue), and while the computers that manage the system don’t currently store data, there’s nothing to prevent the TSA from storing images or other information in the future. Those opposing the current system want full disclosure to passengers about what’s going on, legal wording in place to protect those scanned, and safeguards in effect to keep the TSA from storing the data or changing the technology later without telling anyone. A national campaign against whole-body scanning is launching now in the hopes of going viral and getting attention for the cause.

Up until recently, the efforts of privacy advocates seemed to be ineffective. Budget Travel’s blog looked into whole-body scanning last month, noting that, while the scanners are available in just a handful of airports so far, the TSA intends to implement them in place of metal detectors in all airports in the future. But there’s a hiccup in the TSA’s plans: Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced a bill late last month to eradicate the whole-body scanners from airports. As quoted by Emergent Chaos, Chaffetz called the scanners “unnecessary to securing an airplane” and noted that there must be a balance between safety and privacy. The ACLU agrees, saying that a choice between being “groped or stripped” is not a fair choice and that “people shouldn’t be humiliated by their government” for security’s sake. Even leaving aside the privacy arguments, the financial side must be considered: the scanning machines cost $170,000 each, making the investment substantial should they be used across all airports in the U.S.

So what do you think? Are whole-body scanners necessary to protect our security in the air, or are they an unnecessary invasion of privacy? Let us know your views in the comments. And don’t forget to protect your own privacy by signing up for The Privacy Council’s List Removal Service! You’ll be removed from the major mailing lists, and you’ll get less junk mail and more peace of mind.