For years, if you were uncomfortable going through an electronic scanner at airport security, you could opt for a physical pat-down instead. But the days of the guaranteed ability to opt out of a TSA electronic screening are over, according to an update to policy issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
A single sentence in a seven-page "Privacy Impact Assessment Update" published Friday by the Department of Homeland Security has wiped away the ability to have the absolute right to opt out of passing through an airport body scanner. The key line: "While passengers may generally decline [Advanced Imaging Technology] screening in favor of physical screening, TSA may direct mandatory AIT screening for some passengers."
You can still make the request to opt out, but "some passengers will still be required to undergo AIT screenings as warranted by security considerations in order to safeguard transportation security." The update gives no specifics regarding what would warrant such a forced screening.
A single sentence in a seven-page "Privacy Impact Assessment Update" published Friday by the Department of Homeland Security has wiped away the ability to have the absolute right to opt out of passing through an airport body scanner. The key line: "While passengers may generally decline [Advanced Imaging Technology] screening in favor of physical screening, TSA may direct mandatory AIT screening for some passengers."
You can still make the request to opt out, but "some passengers will still be required to undergo AIT screenings as warranted by security considerations in order to safeguard transportation security." The update gives no specifics regarding what would warrant such a forced screening.
