Viral protest urges Americans to refuse ‘pornoscans’


23 Nov 2010

What began as a modest protest against full-body scans has developed into an online sensation that has left America’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) fuming.

A webpage urging those travelling during the US Thanksgiving holidays to decline body scans because of the intrusive nature of the scanning technology has the TSA up in arms, according to CNet.com.

The administration has labelled National Opt-Out Day “irresponsible” and believes it will cause disruptions in the airport if passengers elect a traditional pat down over what has been termed a “pornoscan”.

The scan in question uses a Rapiscan Secure 1000 backscatter X-ray scanner and enables airport officials to view every nook and cranny of the subject’s body.

Pat-down scans urged

The TSA argues that during the busiest time of the year in America’s airports, choosing traditional pat-down scans will cause dramatic delays.

The topic has garnered the attention of the national media and has been parodied by Saturday Night Live.

The National Opt-Out Day site took on a life of its own when people began to link to it on Twitter and other anti-body scan websites.

An estimated 42 million are expected to use America’s airports this Thanksgiving holiday season.