• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  full body scanners • News • TSA  >  Exclusive: TSA Admits to Storing AIT Images
full body scannersNewsTSA

Exclusive: TSA Admits to Storing AIT Images

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 17, 2011December 6, 2016 5 Comments

A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screener has admitted that the TSA stores images obtained from full body scanners. The 23-year old screener works at Ronald Regan Washington National Airport and posted the following in the course of an online discussion over the recent controversy about the invasive pat-down of a six-year-old girl that was captured on video and posted YouTube:

The only images that are saved are the ones with detected anomalies on them.

This is basically a "heres why we gave this person additional screening" if something ever comes up.(OIG Investigations)

It’s essentially the higher up’s CYA mechanism.

Normally, I would be skeptical about information obtained from someone hiding behind the cloak of anonymity in an online chat room, but this young man seems to be the real deal, openly discussing his job duties and work as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) over the last five years. Make no mistake: this is a disgruntled employee. Posting under the username A Jurai Knight, the man links to his specific job title and description as well as this humorous spoof of the TSA website on his user homepage. A quick search of his prior postings reveals resentment and philosophical differences with the way TSA handles airport screening at U.S. airports.

I have reached out to the TSA for independent confirmation of this startling assertion, but they have not returned my calls or e-mails.

But let’s not forget that the TSA PR team has consistently maintained that the public has nothing to fear. Their own Information Minister (you remember Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, aka Baghdad Bob?) "Blogger Bob" has repeatedly stated that images cannot and will not be stored. On August 6, 2010, he wrote:

As we’ve stated from the beginning, TSA has not, will not and the machines cannot store images of passengers at airports. The equipment sent by the manufacturer to airports cannot store, transmit or print images and operators at airports do not have the capability to activate any such function. (Emphasis in original)

In an interview on CNN last year, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano echoed the TSA talking points (cue the clip to 1:20):

What Bob and Bis Sis failed to mention was that the Gen 2 Product Spec Sheet from Brijot Imaging Systems, Inc. (the company that worked closely with the TSA to get millimeter wave scanners into U.S. airports) show their machines come standard with USB and Ethernet slots.

And this was not by accident: the TSA mandated this in their procurement specification:

Apparently, in the TSA’s mind, the "machine" cannot save or store images, but another machine (i.e, the USB stick) can.

So the news today is that whenever a full body scanner "picks up" something, the image is stored away for potential further use. Privacy advocates like me having been saying this all along–it only makes sense. After all, we are talking about the destruction of evidence if images were automatically deleted. But while this news should not come as a surprise, more than ever before it suggests that the TSA has been lying to the American public. If they are lying about this, who knows what else they are lying about?

Folks, this is big news.

Previous Article College Newspaper Defends TSA…and Fails Miserably
Next Article Drunk Frenchmen and Frightened Romanian on Lufthansa

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • Catering Improvements Move Forward On United Airlines, Despite Quarterly Loss

    March 16, 2023
  • united require vaccine

    United Airlines CEO Explains Unexpected Quarterly Loss

    March 15, 2023
  • Villa Kennedy To Reopen As Luxury Hotel In Frankfurt

    March 11, 2023

5 Comments

  1. FriendlySkies Reply
    April 17, 2011 at 7:09 am

    Not in the least bit surprised. If TSA ever caught somebody with something truly dangerous, how would they prove it in court? I’m sure they would have a copy of the scan to show to the judge/jury..

  2. George Donnelly Reply
    April 19, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    The forum post was deleted. Did you take a screenshot? I hope so and I hope you’ll post it publicly and share it with me. I’m the co-founder of We Won’t Fly and we would love to put that to good use. Kudos.

  3. Jeff Reply
    April 19, 2011 at 8:30 pm

    No Proof of Naked Images being saved.

    MATTHEW – I read through whole thread. On PAGE 2 is a reference to a posting by A JURAI KNIGHT , which is now “redacted” and is probably the original post you quoted above. XORT is responding to the “redacted” quote with “So why would any pictures be saved?”

    I don’t think you can source this anymore. I do find it hard to believe they would save images especially with the $100,000 fines passed by Congress last December.

  4. Matthew Reply
    April 19, 2011 at 8:38 pm

    Jeff, I find it odd that this TSO is now backtracking on his original claim. I am not quite ready to retract my allegation, but am researching this matter further and as I mentioned in my post, have reached out to the TSA. More as the story develops…

  5. Mike Reply
    April 19, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    Someone got a screen grab from Google Cache in this Flyertalk thread

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Avianca 787-8 Business Class Review
    Review: Avianca 787-8 Business Class March 20, 2023
  • Color Blind Pilot Sues United Airlines For Firing Him March 20, 2023
  • Ryanair Twitter
    Ryanair Savagely Trolls Passenger On Twitter March 20, 2023
  • hyatt all-inclusive hyatt zilara rose hall
    Hyatt Acquisition Provides Hints About All-Inclusive Future March 19, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • American Airlines unaccompanied Minor Predator
    American Airlines Flight Attendant Freaks Out After Man Offers His First Class Seat To Child February 25, 2023
  • United Airlines Polaris Lounge Chicago Review
    Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago (ORD) February 21, 2023
  • Bankman-Fried Alaska Airlines
    Poor Sam Bankman-Fried “Downgrades” From American Airlines Business Class To Alaska Airlines First Class February 20, 2023
  • There’s A Pilot In My Seat! February 21, 2023

Archives

March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Feb    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.