Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The US began tightening security checks on international flights into the country Monday 4 January, including using more body scans, but the number of voices objecting to the scannerss is growing. Britain’s prime minister, Gordon Brown, Sunday promised to gradually introduce more of the scanners, but privacy and civil liberties groups say using the machines may break child pornography laws, reports the Guardian. A US congressman, Jason Chaffetz, argues that a bill is needed to protect privacy in the US. The bill has passed the House in Congress and is now under consideration by the US Senate.
The new measures are being taken in the wake of the 25 December suicide bomber attack on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan in the US.
The world had 2.2 billion air passengers in the 12 months to September 2009, 820 million of which were international travelers, and 140 million of these were international travelers on US routes.
The US Monday 4 January is starting “enhanced” scans, including more full body scans, on many flights into the US and for passengers from a list of countries which has not been officially released. CNN reports, however, that it was given the list by an unidentified government official and the countries are: Cuba, Sudan, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. Passengers traveling from or through those countries to the US can expect tougher security measures.
Random scans on all international flights into the US are also being stepped up. Pilots are being given more discretionary power to insist passengers cannot travel with pillows or blankets on their laps during some flights and to limit movement in the cabin for those flights.
