7 ms·

As someone who refuses body scans every time and have never had anything happen (Other than a brief secondary that involved waiting for 5 minutes and a "Sorry,

As someone who refuses body scans every time and have never had anything happen (Other than a brief secondary that involved waiting for 5 minutes and a "Sorry, you're good to go"), I don't think refusing the full body scanners has anything to do with it

ninjin 10y ago
Likewise, I have refused scanning in the US, England, and the Netherlands, for the last 8 years and don't have much to report. As much as I hate security theatre, I try to be polite and when asked for the reason I opt out I state that it is political, the devices don't make us safer, and I'd like them to hire more personnel instead ("just like you fine Sir"). In the US, apart from an occasional sigh, my worst experiences have been being insulted by an agent at SFO and an agent putting my shoes with the soles down on my laptop at ORD despite me asking him not to. I do however find that agents in the UK are much less cooperative with "nutcases" such as me, with one officer stating that I made her feel "uncomfortable" by standing as opposed to sitting while waiting since I insisted on seeing my belongings as they take no responsibility for them.
- viraptor 10y ago
  Can you opt out in England? I was under the impression you can't do that. Quick search confirms: http://www.civilrightsmovement.co.uk/consequences-for-refusing-full-airport-body-scan.html http://www.civilrightsmovement.co.uk/consequences-for-refusi...
  - HappyTypist 10y ago
    Legally no. But if you say you opt out and insist, I've never had an issue
    - d4rti 10y ago
      Same, request the pat down instead of the body scanner.
- kwhitefoot 10y ago
  > with one officer stating that I made her feel "uncomfortable" This is becoming a common reaction in the UK, not just at borders and not just with customs and immigration officers. I encountered a similar attitude once when I was accosted by a security guard in Tesco who demanded that I put shoes on. When I politely asked him why he immediately called his supervisor on the radio and told her that I was threatening him.
  - BillinghamJ 10y ago
    Uhh, why were you wandering around Tesco with no shoes on?
    - cardiffspaceman 10y ago
      Seems like it's a statement being made about excessive hygiene norms. Personally I feel the soles of my feet afford some protection, but not enough for certain public places. I have no direct experience of Tesco, maybe they are especially clean.
      - BillinghamJ 10y ago
        I think it may be more a question of how clean the patron is. If they tend to walk around public places with no shoes on, one might imagine that their overall hygiene may not be particularly good. Most likely though it's a health and safety policy - sharp things on the floor, etc.
        cardiffspaceman 10y ago
        I'm a fairly square, non-trouble-making, shower-positive individual who loves going around barefoot. I might think Tesco is the wrong place, but I wouldn't assume anything about a barefooted person.
      - brokenmachine 10y ago
        Wearing shoes in a public supermarket is an excessive hygiene norm?
- ajmurmann 10y ago
  I used to refuse the scanner every time. I now have TSA Prime and don't have to anymore. When anyone asked me why I'm refusing I always made sure to give them as one of the reasons that I'm concerned about the TSA staff being exposed to radiation and the fact that they are prohibited to wear dosimeters. Makes it really hard for them to dislike you. Several got much friendlier after that.
  - brokenmachine 10y ago
    What's TSA Prime? It sounds like a way to sidestep the security theatre somewhat.
    - rtkwe 10y ago
      I'm guessing they mean TSA Precheck. It's basically a little background check that allows you to largely skip the screening process.
    - ajmurmann 10y ago
      I mean TSA Pre. I just like to call it "Prime" as a joke.
commandertso 10y ago
A relative of mine used to work security at a busy airport for the TSA. I think a lot of discretion is given to the individual officers to decide who gets extra scrutiny - so one experience either way is not really going to light up a potential policy.
coldtea 10y ago
>I don't think refusing the full body scanners has anything to do with it It might have had very much to do with it though, as in, the person refused body scan, and the TSA agent, who now had a chance to focus on them more, found them suspicious. (In that, if they just went on an complied with the full body scan, the agent might not have thought about them twice).
- sokoloff 10y ago
  I opt out 100% of the time in the US. There is no readily available linkage between my presence at the pat down and my identity. I have never had to identify myself for scanning or for pat down. It would take some effort to link me, either via facial recognition or surveillance tracking back or forwards to a sign-in location where my identity is known. After opting out 100% of the time for years, I've had my bags inspected by TSA (the little note inside) only twice (out of probably 10 domestic trips and 40 international trips). Both times were international and both times were where I was carrying random wires, Arduino experiment kits, etc. (things that probably look suspicious on an Xray). I doubt either had to do with opting out.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    >I opt out 100% of the time in the US. There is no readily available linkage between my presence at the pat down and my identity. I have never had to identify myself for scanning or for pat down. It's common to get a mark on your bags (marking you for further checks) as they pass through the belt, which can be put there depending on whether or not you seemed suspicious to the guards. No need to actively identify yourself for that.
    - sokoloff 10y ago
      My checked luggage has long ago been separated from me before I even stand in the TSA ID check line which is before I opt out of the scanner.
  - RickS 10y ago
    > There is no readily available linkage between my presence at the pat down and my identity. I have never had to identify myself for scanning or for pat down. This is false. I apologize in advance for not being able to substantiate this beyond my own anecdote, but I was once flying cross country, at the part where they scan your ID before standing in line to have your genitals irradiated. A part of the agent's screen that isn't normally visible was facing me for whatever reason, and when my ID was scanned, "opt out requested" or similar appeared in green text. I had previously also been 100% opt out. Presumably they were referring to times I had opted out in the past. I won't speculate about how they link this data, it's not terribly hard, but FWIW, they know, and keep track. I've never gotten a TSA ticket, despite also flying with lots of questionable-looking microcontrollers. I've even gone so far as to leave a note in the bag explaining what each piece was.

ninjin 10y ago

Likewise, I have refused scanning in the US, England, and the Netherlands, for the last 8 years and don't have much to report. As much as I hate security theatre, I try to be polite and when asked for the reason I opt out I state that it is political, the devices don't make us safer, and I'd like them to hire more personnel instead ("just like you fine Sir"). In the US, apart from an occasional sigh, my worst experiences have been being insulted by an agent at SFO and an agent putting my shoes with the soles down on my laptop at ORD despite me asking him not to. I do however find that agents in the UK are much less cooperative with "nutcases" such as me, with one officer stating that I made her feel "uncomfortable" by standing as opposed to sitting while waiting since I insisted on seeing my belongings as they take no responsibility for them.

viraptor 10y ago
Can you opt out in England? I was under the impression you can't do that. Quick search confirms: http://www.civilrightsmovement.co.uk/consequences-for-refusing-full-airport-body-scan.html http://www.civilrightsmovement.co.uk/consequences-for-refusi...
- HappyTypist 10y ago
  Legally no. But if you say you opt out and insist, I've never had an issue
  - d4rti 10y ago
    Same, request the pat down instead of the body scanner.
kwhitefoot 10y ago
> with one officer stating that I made her feel "uncomfortable" This is becoming a common reaction in the UK, not just at borders and not just with customs and immigration officers. I encountered a similar attitude once when I was accosted by a security guard in Tesco who demanded that I put shoes on. When I politely asked him why he immediately called his supervisor on the radio and told her that I was threatening him.
- BillinghamJ 10y ago
  Uhh, why were you wandering around Tesco with no shoes on?
  - cardiffspaceman 10y ago
    Seems like it's a statement being made about excessive hygiene norms. Personally I feel the soles of my feet afford some protection, but not enough for certain public places. I have no direct experience of Tesco, maybe they are especially clean.
    - BillinghamJ 10y ago
      I think it may be more a question of how clean the patron is. If they tend to walk around public places with no shoes on, one might imagine that their overall hygiene may not be particularly good. Most likely though it's a health and safety policy - sharp things on the floor, etc.
      - cardiffspaceman 10y ago
        I'm a fairly square, non-trouble-making, shower-positive individual who loves going around barefoot. I might think Tesco is the wrong place, but I wouldn't assume anything about a barefooted person.
    - brokenmachine 10y ago
      Wearing shoes in a public supermarket is an excessive hygiene norm?
ajmurmann 10y ago
I used to refuse the scanner every time. I now have TSA Prime and don't have to anymore. When anyone asked me why I'm refusing I always made sure to give them as one of the reasons that I'm concerned about the TSA staff being exposed to radiation and the fact that they are prohibited to wear dosimeters. Makes it really hard for them to dislike you. Several got much friendlier after that.
- brokenmachine 10y ago
  What's TSA Prime? It sounds like a way to sidestep the security theatre somewhat.
  - rtkwe 10y ago
    I'm guessing they mean TSA Precheck. It's basically a little background check that allows you to largely skip the screening process.
  - ajmurmann 10y ago
    I mean TSA Pre. I just like to call it "Prime" as a joke.

commandertso 10y ago

A relative of mine used to work security at a busy airport for the TSA. I think a lot of discretion is given to the individual officers to decide who gets extra scrutiny - so one experience either way is not really going to light up a potential policy.

coldtea 10y ago

>I don't think refusing the full body scanners has anything to do with it It might have had very much to do with it though, as in, the person refused body scan, and the TSA agent, who now had a chance to focus on them more, found them suspicious. (In that, if they just went on an complied with the full body scan, the agent might not have thought about them twice).

sokoloff 10y ago
I opt out 100% of the time in the US. There is no readily available linkage between my presence at the pat down and my identity. I have never had to identify myself for scanning or for pat down. It would take some effort to link me, either via facial recognition or surveillance tracking back or forwards to a sign-in location where my identity is known. After opting out 100% of the time for years, I've had my bags inspected by TSA (the little note inside) only twice (out of probably 10 domestic trips and 40 international trips). Both times were international and both times were where I was carrying random wires, Arduino experiment kits, etc. (things that probably look suspicious on an Xray). I doubt either had to do with opting out.
- coldtea 10y ago
  >I opt out 100% of the time in the US. There is no readily available linkage between my presence at the pat down and my identity. I have never had to identify myself for scanning or for pat down. It's common to get a mark on your bags (marking you for further checks) as they pass through the belt, which can be put there depending on whether or not you seemed suspicious to the guards. No need to actively identify yourself for that.
  - sokoloff 10y ago
    My checked luggage has long ago been separated from me before I even stand in the TSA ID check line which is before I opt out of the scanner.
- RickS 10y ago
  > There is no readily available linkage between my presence at the pat down and my identity. I have never had to identify myself for scanning or for pat down. This is false. I apologize in advance for not being able to substantiate this beyond my own anecdote, but I was once flying cross country, at the part where they scan your ID before standing in line to have your genitals irradiated. A part of the agent's screen that isn't normally visible was facing me for whatever reason, and when my ID was scanned, "opt out requested" or similar appeared in green text. I had previously also been 100% opt out. Presumably they were referring to times I had opted out in the past. I won't speculate about how they link this data, it's not terribly hard, but FWIW, they know, and keep track. I've never gotten a TSA ticket, despite also flying with lots of questionable-looking microcontrollers. I've even gone so far as to leave a note in the bag explaining what each piece was.