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Is a roving, body-scanning van a needed surveillance tool or a another step toward eroding personal privacy?
Andy Greenberg of Forbes is reporting that American Science & Engineering, which provides x-ray scanners to governments and defense companies, has introduced a van capable of scanning nearby cars. The Z Backscatter Vans, or ZBVs, are used to scan for explosives, drugs and people, making them an ideal tool for security, law enforcement and border control agencies.
The vans work by emitting low-level x-rays off and through nearby objects to collect a visual snapshot of other vehicles. In an interview with Forbes, Joe Reiss, vice president of marketing for ASE, tells Greenberg that the company has already sold more than 500 of these vans to U.S. and foreign government agencies, making them "the largest selling cargo and vehicle inspection system ever."
Privacy advocates like Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, warn that the backscatter vans may violate the fourth amendment, which guards against unreasonable search and seizures. While government agencies may be ordering large numbers of the ZBVs, "from a privacy perspective, it's one of the most intrusive technologies conceivable," Negrin tells Forbes. "Without a warrant the government doesn't have the right to peer beneath your clothes without probable cause."
While the ZBVs can detect and visualize human forms, they are much less powerful than the scanners found in airports and pick up less detail. However, ZBVs retain the images they collect for "evidentiary reasons." TSA policy on the other hand prohibits scanned images from being saved.
Do you think these x-ray scanning vans are a good idea or a needless violation of privacy? Tell us in the comments.