In 2011, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) successfully challenged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the deployment of airport body scanners, winning a court ruling that required TSA to open the program to public comment before continuing.
EPIC’s lawsuit highlighted serious privacy concerns: body scanners produce detailed, three-dimensional images of passengers, which security experts have compared to a “physically invasive strip-search.” EPIC argued that TSA’s use of these scanners was unlawful, invasive, and ineffective, violating laws including the Administrative Procedure Act, the Privacy Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Fourth Amendment.
The court ruling ensured that the TSA had to consider public feedback on its full-body scanner program, marking an important precedent for protecting personal privacy in the name of security.
For more details, see EPIC’s full case summary: EPIC – Airport Body Scanners