TSA ends contract with Rapiscan, maker of full-body scanner

[jsr]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The Transportation Security Administration has ended a contract with the Hawthorne-based manufacturer of a controversial full-body scanner used to screen passengers.

Rapiscan, a unit of OSI Systems Inc., manufactured about half of the full-body scanners used by the TSA to screen passengers for hidden weapons at airports across the country.

But TSA officials said the agency has canceled its contract with the company because it had failed to deliver software to protect the privacy of passengers.

The Rapiscan scanner uses low-level X-rays to create what looks like a naked image of screened passengers to target weapons hidden under the clothes.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-fullbody-scanner-contract-20130117,0,3525187.story

[BainsBane]

1. I thought Rapiscan was a satirical name

Amazing that's what the company is really called.

[pnwmom]

3. I know. How clueless are their marketing people?

[LisaL]

9. Maybe they are just very honest.

[MADem]

10. I am sure they intended to suggest rapid scan, but it reads like rape is scan. nt

[PoliticAverse]

15. I'm sure therapists sympathize with their situation... n/t

[MADem]

17. Ha--another "unfortunate" word!!!

Can you imagine someone who is chugging along in their ESL class, being told by a doctor that they need to see the rapist for additional medical help??? It would be enough to put one off medical care entirely!

[dorkulon]

35. Rapeyscan nt

[rhett o rick]

18. The marketing people dont have to be very clever when they have good lobbyists.

"The company Rapiscan - which built some of these machines - spent $420,000 in 2008 alone lobbying lawmakers - and their return on that investment in lobbying was a 2009 contract for $173 million worth of these machines for our in airports. Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff - who played his part is hyping up fear while working for the Bush Administration - went on to became a lobbyist - and went on TV telling the American people that these machines were needed to keep us safe. And guess who was one of Chertoff's clients? Rapiscan. " Thom Hartmann

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10179062

[flamingdem]

24. Wasn't he a part owner of Rapiscan previously? n/t

[rhett o rick]

43. I believe that to be true but couldnt find such. nm

[BainsBane]

32. makes sense

Thanks for the info.

[alp227]

8. Does it rhyme with a musical genre or sexual violation?

[backscatter712]

26. Yes. n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

13. That was my first thought too

Seriously, what a fail...

[dorkulon]

33. Yeah, that is really unfortunate. nt

[Odin2005]

45. I wondered the same thing!

[AllyCat]

2. When they stop using these health hazards, I might consider flying again.

I refuse to subject myself and my family to radiation and groping just for the privilege of flying in over-priced seats with crabby staff and no food or drink. I'll take my time and take the train.

[pnwmom]

4. No. Read the article. The other type of machine doesn't use x-rays. Many people on DU

have been advocating for the use of the other machines because they are safer.

[AllyCat]

6. I see that now on a reread. Updated my post. Thanks!

[pnwmom]

20. Half of the machines already in place use sound waves instead of x-rays.

So depending on where you're flying to and from, you might consider flying anytime.

[jberryhill]

30. Sound waves?

Do you have a link for that?

There are two types, x-ray backscatter and millimeter wave.

But... sound waves? That would be an interesting trick for a number of reasons.

[pnwmom]

38. Sorry. I meant to say "radio waves" (millimeter waves) are not x-rays.

Here's more info:

http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/communications/1-how-is-data-put-on-radio-waves.html

How is data put on radio waves?

There are two common ways to put information in a radio wave, and you've likely run into them yourself. They are called A.M. and F.M. just like the two choices you've always known are on a radio. To understand these two ways of sending information it is important to know that radio waves, by themselves, have very regular patterns. Generally they keep the same amplitude or frequency all the time. (Amplitude is the "height" of the radio wave, frequency is how close the waves are to each other.)

http://www.propublica.org/special/scanning-the-scanners-a-side-by-side-comparison

A millimeter wave machine beams radio frequency waves over the surface of the body using two rotating antennas. The energy reflected back from the body is analyzed for anomalies. Because of controversy over a “virtual strip search,” TSA swapped the image with a generic unisex outline that resembles the cartoon character Gumby.

What energy is used? Low-powered millimeter waves, which are not a form of ionizing radiation. (Ionizing radiation is powerful enough to strip electrons off atoms and damage DNA, potentially leading to cancer.)

[jberryhill]

47. X-rays are electromagnetic waves, just like radio waves

Radio waves, microwaves, light, x-rays... They are all electromagnetic waves.

[pnwmom]

52. So? Water is a chemical, just like alcohol.

But they don't have the same effect on the body -- and neither do radio waves and x-rays.

Do you worry about radio waves every time you turn on your radio?

[jberryhill]

54. "Do you worry about radio waves every time you turn on your radio?"

Umm.. no.. but the other name for "millimeter waves" is "microwaves".

Do you stick your head in the microwave oven?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave

Microwaves are radio waves with wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz (0.3 GHz) and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF (millimeter waves), and various sources use different boundaries. In all cases, microwave includes the entire SHF band (3 to 30 GHz, or 10 to 1 cm) at minimum, with RF engineering often putting the lower boundary at 1 GHz (30 cm), and the upper around 100 GHz (3 mm).

[AllyCat]

51. How can we find out? I've tried the TSA website and it made no sense.

Train is cheaper for the next trip and we are not in a hurry so the time to travel doesn't matter.

[pnwmom]

53. The machines look different. So you could ask friends who do use the airport.

There are pictures here:

http://www.propublica.org/special/scanning-the-scanners-a-side-by-side-comparison

[pnwmom]

5. And the manufacturer will have to pay to remove them. Good.

We should have just been using the other company all along, since they have the better product.

[PSPS]

7. This is the company through which Michael Chertoff, a Bushie, was stealing millions from taxpayers.

[FailureToCommunicate]

11. How many millions of tax dollars were flushed down Rapiscam?

[flamingdem]

23. This was/is a disgrace with Chartoff pocketing the profits

and other Repuke scam artists meanwhile thousands of female airport workers were exposed to a ton of radiation, unnecessarily!

I opted out and got mauled. Grrrr

[RandiFan1290]

39. What a strange comment

Only the female airport workers were exposed to radiation?
The males were somehow exempt?

[flamingdem]

55. Think female reproductive system

What a strange reaction to my post!

[ReRe]

12. Wait a minute....

Last edited Fri Jan 18, 2013, 01:38 AM - Edit history (1)

K&R

... What was the name of GW's last Director of Homeland Security? Funny/unusual last name? I'm having a senior moment. Someone holler back at me and I will finish this reply... Thanks!

*Editing to answer my own question and ask another...

Does anyone remember Michael Chertoff? If my memory serves me correctly (and sometimes it doesn't!) Michael Chertoff was going through the swinging door to head a company that made these X-Ray machines for the airports. Does anyone remember that? I tried to find the Board Members of this Rapiscan & OSI Systems, Inc, but had no luck. And I can't explain why I'm so fascinated with this. Maybe because of the backstory that's not being told about this sudden collapse of his (Chertoff's) contract with Homeland Security. What happened to Rapiscan?

[pnwmom]

21. Are you thinking of "Brownie"?

[ReRe]

25. No...

he was FEMA director. I just found it! He was Michael Chertoff! I'm going to go back and edit my first reply... won't take me long, so if you're online for a while, check my original reply again...

Thanks!

[backscatter712]

29. Michael Chertoff.

aka Skeletor.

[ReRe]

31. You win!

... I have a tendency (lifelong) of not remembering the names of people I don't like. Seriously. Please see my original post for the rest of my questions about this smarmy character...

[FailureToCommunicate]

42. ...and his (also) evil twin:

[pnwmom]

34. You have an excellent memory.

You just need to learn to google.

I googled "Chertoff" and "Rapiscan" and this is the first thing I found. Enjoy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/23/fear_pays_chertoff_n_787711.html

[ReRe]

37. Wowser...

Thank you for that! Took me a while to read it as my eyes are tired. All I googled at first was was Rapiscan and OSI Systems, Inc, which didn't get me to his name. Then I came back and googled homeland security directors. Bingo, there he was. Chertoff is one of the places where all the money goes....

[MichaelHarris]

14. I actually liked that thing

I have an artificial knee and using it cut down the time I spent detained. Guess I'll have to go back to sitting in a cubicle and waiting for a frisking.

[LisaL]

16. Not to worry. They will replace rapiscans by machines made by a different company.

[Liberalagogo]

19. Oh well

I guess it's back to anal probing.

[flamingdem]

22. HA! I have been railing against those radiation spewing machines for a while

When will someone admit what a health hazard they posed?

In England they got rid of them because so many people working near them miscarried!

Not covered here though.. just a nice fade to black.

Chartoff is RICH due to this BS. Watch the skin cancer numbers go up shortly.

[backscatter712]

27. Looks like Skeletor's business plans aren't going as expected.

So how long until Chertoff sails away on the golden parachute while Rape-i-scan goes bust?

[alittlelark]

28. Investor info is suddenly very hard to find.....

http://www.rapiscansystems.com/en/company/investors...

keep lookin'

I'm sure it's just a glitch..

[KeepItReal]

36. Glad i chose the pat down every time I ran into one of these things

eom

[TroglodyteScholar]

40. Introducing a "gingerbread man" software update should have been simple for them...

In the past couple of years I've been through a number of other manufacturers' scanners that use this simple solution for privacy. Why would Rapiscan flush such a lucrative deal this way? Madness....

[LisaL]

49. I wonder if it's just a pretend reason, and the real goal of TSA is to get rid of X-rays (radiation)

I never believed it was all so harmless as they claimed.

[HockeyMom]

41. "Tell us if your left arm hurts"

Why? I went through this full body scanner in Ft. Myers, Fl., but not at JFK where it was just the regular x-ray. No, my arm did not hurt me right after, BUT it was killing me the next day. I couldn't do anything with it for about 24 hours.

Never again. I would rather have a pat down. What is with this?

[dixiegrrrrl]

44. What??????

Am I reading correctly that you went thru a full body scanner and were TOLD that your left arm might hurt as a result, and it did hurt?

[HockeyMom]

46. Before I went through the full body scanner,

the TSA person told me to tell them if after it my left arm hurt. They did not tell me WHY it should hurt. My arm did not hurt right after I went through the scanner. It happened 24 hours later.

I would like to know WHY they thought my arm might hurt. I tried doing a google search about this but I found nothing. I was wondering if anyone knew about this.

[dixiegrrrrl]

48. Sounds like some mass experiment to me...

Did they give you any contact info so you COULD tell them if your arm hurts????
and why your lrft arm, I wonder..was that the arm closest to the scanner?
You might want to document where and when and who re: the scanner, in case this comes up as a lawsuit later.
Imagine what could happen if hundreds of people all had the same problem.

I have refused to fly since TSA got so invasive.
And it was very clear that the scanner technology was not safe, as time went on and more and more stories came out about TSA workers not being allowed protection, it became more concerning.
See, for instance, this:
http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/30/did-airport-scanners-give-boston-tsa-agents-cancer/

[LisaL]

50. That is extremely bizarre.

Have you tried contacting TSA?