Welcome to 1984!



What's next?

today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-01-23T235814Z_01_N23163847_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-SCREENING.xml&archived=False

New US security device spots weapons under clothes Mon Jan 23, 2006 6:58 PM ET By Christian Wiessner NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new surveillance device using radio waves to look under peoples' clothing for concealed guns, bombs or other weapons may be coming soon to a security checkpoint near you. But the modest need not worry about screeners sneaking a voyeuristic peek because the system only identifies non-human material tucked inside clothing and does not convey images of the naked form underneath, the maker of the device -- Brijot Imaging Systems Inc. of Orlando, Florida -- said on Monday. The BIS-WIDS Prime is the first and only surveillance camera that immediately detects and identifies the exact location of objects hidden beneath a person's clothing while the person is in motion, the company said. At its first public demonstration on Monday in New York, the device was able to detect a mock gun and a bomb replica the company said was similar to that used by al Qaeda. "The software in the machine itself actually looks at the person, looks at the objects, and actually tells you what it is and, most importantly, where it is on the body," said Brijot Chief Executive Brian Andrew. "It doesn't just go 'bing' like a metal detector. We can identify weapons' shapes." The device uses computer panels that display images of the body to the security screener, with dark patches marking the location of hidden objects. The invention was described by company officials as basically a small radio telescope that "sees" radio waves transmitted by the body. If a portion of the body is covered by something underneath clothing, no waves will transmit from that part of the body, raising a red flag to screeners. "Our bodies radiate radio waves just like a cell phone does, and our camera sees that," Andrew said. Andrew said the BIS-WDS, with a suggested retail price of $60,000 per unit, was designed to be used anywhere there are crowds and security is needed. "We'll see it in the obvious places, any areas of high risk. Government buildings, train systems, airplane systems, even private buildings or movie theaters and sports stadiums. Any place you expect some level of security, you'll see these deployed," he added. Andrew was tight-lipped about how many units had been sold, and to whom. "There are some deployments. We're not at liberty to say where they are. No military applications, but there are some applications involving military," he said. A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, which oversees airport security, did not return calls for comment on the device.

Big Brother is X Raying you

At its first public demonstration on Monday in New York, the device was able to detect a mock gun and a bomb replica the company said was similar to that used by al Qaeda.

...I thought it was the unfounded threat of a bomb, and box cutter knives that they used?

Can it detect my utmost frustration with airport security monkeys?

Quoted: At its first public demonstration on Monday in New York, the device was able to detect a mock gun and a bomb replica the company said was similar to that used by al Qaeda. ...I thought it was the unfounded threat of a bomb, and box cutter knives that they used?

New York...figures.

Quoted: Can it detect my utmost frustration with airport security monkeys?

Yep.
And your pretty wife will get an extra special "pat down" for your resistance to the future.

That's clever technology.  Certainly much safer that the one that is baically a radar system and did the same thing.  Scanning everyone is still bullshit however, even if you're not irradiating people.

Whats the difference between this an an x-ray machine?

If you go into an airport be prepared to be searched.  Thats just what our world has become.


Which is why I don't fly unless I absolutely, positively have to.

Quoted: Whats the difference between this an an x-ray machine? If you go into an airport be prepared to be searched.  Thats just what our world has become. Which is why I don't fly unless I absolutely, positively have to.

Notice that it didn't say airport security checkpoint, just security checkpoint, and the article originates here in NY.  The NYPD under the mayor's orders have taken it upon themselves to piss on the constitution and do random checks at subway stations.

Quoted: Whats the difference between this an an x-ray machine? If you go into an airport be prepared to be searched.  Thats just what our world has become. Which is why I don't fly unless I absolutely, positively have to.

For all practical purposes it’s the same as the metal detectors at airports.  

However, it sounds like it’s a lot easier to deploy.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see these things start to show up at bank entrances, schools and such.

Seems to me the real issue is whether this thing conducts a search, which of course is regulated by the Constitution, or if it just takes a picture like a camera in a public place, which isn’t regulated.  I think there’s some recent case law that would make it the former.

Still, lots of places technically have the right to search anyone entering them.  This device makes such searches much more practical than it has been in the past (esp. if it comes down in price, which I think is inevitable).

The end result is that while you can minimize going through airports (which I also do), at some point it’s going to be almost impossible to avoid these things.

The only practical solution IMHO is a nationwide CCW.  Then if the thing goes off as you walk by – so what!

Quoted: Quoted: However, it sounds like it’s a lot easier to deploy.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see these things start to show up at bank entrances, schools and such.

man, waiting in the lines at the bank takes long enough. now I have to wait for the cops to come and search me when the thing goes off the chart for my 1911 and two b/u mags.