More body scanners at U.S. and foreign airports are just the beginning. Mobile scanning devices -- already in use overseas -- will soon be on the nation’s streets and highways, hidden in ordinary-looking delivery vans.
They’ll be able to peer through vehicles, scanning their contents. Eventually, they may also be used to scan suspicious-looking pedestrians -- all to the chagrin of privacy advocates who are sure to go to court to stop the vans’ implementation.
Use of the vans, called Z Backscatter Vans by their manufacturer, American Science and Engineering Inc. of Billerica, Mass., “is profoundly disturbing and could not pass constitutional muster,” says Ginger McCall, an attorney with the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
EPIC has already filed a lawsuit challenging the full body scanners that are proliferating in airports. The suit will be heard in January in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The organization is also mulling a lawsuit concerning backscatter vans, but wants to first learn more details from the Department of Homeland Security about its plans to test and employ the vans for nonairport uses. So far, DHS hasn’t responded to EPIC’s request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Besides DHS, including its Customs and Border Protection agency, backscatter vans have been ordered by the Department of Defense, the United Kingdom’s border agency, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and customs agencies in Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Bulgaria, which uses them primarily to nab black market smugglers.
Altogether, American Science and Engineering, which touts the vans as “the number one-selling nonintrusive mobile inspections system on the market," says it has received more than 500 orders.
Based on patented technology originally developed for NASA, backscatter X-ray machines produce photo-like images of the contents of a truck or car for the detection of plastic or liquid explosives, narcotics, plastic weapons, drugs, stowaways and alcohol. The vans can generate scans of vehicles that are five feet away or closer. The images are monitored by operators riding in the vans.
-
How to Navigate Your Medicare Advantage Plan in a DisasterIf you're a Medicare Advantage member in an area that has been impacted by a disaster, you might be worried about access to care and medicine. Here's what you need to know.
-
Older Investors: Boost Your Savings and Retire EarlierThis one measure can help older investors retire up to two years earlier and potentially double their retirement savings.
-
Big Changes Are Ahead for Higher EdThe Kiplinger Letter A major reform of higher ed is underway. Colleges are bracing for abrupt change, financial headwinds and uncertainty.
-
I Let AI Read Privacy Policies for Me. Here's What I LearnedA reporter uses AI to review privacy policies, in an effort to better protect herself from fraud and scams.
-
What New Tariffs Mean for Car ShoppersThe Kiplinger Letter Car deals are growing scarcer. Meanwhile, tax credits for EVs are on the way out, but tax breaks for car loans are coming.
-
AI’s Rapid Rise Sparks New Cyber ThreatsThe Kiplinger Letter Cybersecurity professionals are racing to ward off AI threats while also using AI tools to shore up defenses.
-
Blue Collar Workers Add AI to Their ToolboxesThe Kiplinger Letter AI can’t fix a leak or install lighting, but more and more tradespeople are adopting artificial intelligence for back-office work and other tasks.
-
What Is AI? Artificial Intelligence 101Artificial intelligence has sparked huge excitement among investors and businesses, but what exactly does the term mean?
-
AI Goes To SchoolThe Kiplinger Letter Artificial intelligence is rapidly heading to K-12 classrooms nationwide. Expect tech companies to cash in on the fast-emerging trend.
-
What To Know if You’re in the Market for a New Car This YearThe Kiplinger Letter Buying a new car will get a little easier, but don’t expect many deals.
