Go to your airport's website to see if it is using body scanners. As of November 2010, not every airport in the country has them. Also check your destination airport to see if it is using them. TSA's website has updated information on which airports are using body scanners.
Read about your rights as a passenger on the TSA website. Every passenger has the right to refuse entrance into an Advanced Imaging Technology machine. The alternative is to be pat-down by a TSA agent of the same sex. A random pat-down used to consist of the back of the hand and was limited in where the search was conducted -- the genital area was not searched. However, since there have been additional terrorist threats,TSA agents now use the front of their hands and feel all parts of a person's body.
Dress in comfortable and loose-fitting clothing for the airport. You will not only be more comfortable, but will feel better during a pat-down. Wear slip-on shoes so they can be taken on and off quickly. Wear or bring socks because people in sandals don't usually cover their bare feet and this is how athlete's foot is spread. Leave jewelry, hats, hair accessories or belts at home. or put them in your luggage to be checked.
Take everything out of your pockets if going through the scanner and place it in a plastic tub along with your shoes. Take out all coins, lip balm, pens, cell phones and take off watches or other jewelry. It is a good idea to place these items in your carry-on bag or purse before entering the scanner.
Enter the scanning machine and hold your arms above your head, standing very still, and breathe normally. According to the TSA website, the radiation emitted from these machines is minuscule and the entire process takes less than a minute. There are two types of body scanners in use across the United States: the Millimeter Wave unit and the Backscatter unit.
Be assured that the TSA agent helping you through the body scanner and the TSA agent viewing the scan of your body are not the same individual. The person helping you through the machine does not see the scan. The person viewing the scan will see a blurred picture, if it is the Millimeter Wave unit. The Backscatter unit is more clearly detailed. Both scanned images have a blurred spot over the passenger's face, so the TSA agent viewing the scan can not recognize who is going through the scanner.
Choose whether to believe. With the body scanning machine, the TSA has said there is no way that the individual viewing the scan can save, copy, print or send the image to another computer, smart phone or other type of operating system. We have been told the machines do not have these capabilities, so there is no need to worry that your personal, private image will be circulating on the Internet before you even board the plane.
However, a Gizmodo article titled "One Hundred Naked Citizens: One Hundred Leaked Body Scans" by Joel Johnson on Nov. 16, 2010, broke the news that a Millimeter Wave unit in an Orlando, Florida, courthouse had, in fact, stored thousands of images. One hundred of the images were retrieved by Gizmodo through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Empty your pockets of all items before a TSA agent pats you down. This will speed up the process. When opting for the pat-down, a passenger needs to remain perfectly still and try to breath normally. The TSA agent should tell the passenger where they are going to place their hands every step of the way. For example, she will say something like: "Now I am going to take my hand and run it across the waistband of your pants."
Once the scan or pat-down is complete, the passenger may collect her belongings and head to the gate.
