Image: L3/TSA
Since the recent announcement that 44 body scanners would be purchased for distribution to major Canadian airports, CCLA has been contacted about this new technology by both the media and members of the concerned public. Our organization has, however, been monitoring this issue for some time, aware of the potential implications for the privacy of travellers. Last year, CCLA filed an Access to Information request with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) seeking a report on a pilot project at the Kelowna airport in BC which tested the use of this technology. While heavily redacted, the report provides anecdotal evidence that the system is far from foolproof, and passengers who were asked to “help” test the technology had various strong objections to the scans. In addition to downloading the censored copy of the CATSA report here, you can also read some of CCLA’s comments on the implementation of the technology in this article by the Toronto Star.
