Airport Body Scanners: MEPs Demand Strict Safeguards
Date: 6 July 2011
The European Parliament has called for strict protections for passengers if body scanners are introduced at EU airports. MEPs stress that scanners should only be used if they safeguard health, privacy, and human dignity, and they demand that any technology using ionising radiation be banned.
Key points of the resolution:
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Health-conscious technology: Member States should choose the least harmful scanning technology.
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No discrimination: Scanning must be random, with no profiling based on sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or other personal traits. Special consideration should be given to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and the disabled.
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Right to alternative screening: Passengers can refuse body scans and choose another method, without being suspected or delayed.
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Privacy protections: Only stick-figure images may be used, no images stored or retained.
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Liquid ban lift: The carry-on liquids ban should be removed by 2013, once suitable technology is in place.
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Air cargo security: Calls for better checks on cargo, especially from non-EU countries, with criteria for high-risk items.
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Transparent security costs: Charges should reflect only actual security costs, with ticket pricing showing security fees, and measures mutually recognized across Member States.
The resolution precedes a likely Commission decision on airport scanners, which the European Parliament can overturn within three months.