X-Ray machine might break law
Anti-paedophile groups in the UK are forcing Manchester
Airport has been forced to rethink trials of its invasive new X-ray
machine.
The high tech scanners allow the use of a full-body scanner,
which can instantly detect any hidden weapons or explosives without
passengers having to remove any of their clothing such as shoes and
belts. The technology removes the need to frisk passengers and
is expected to speed up the security process at airports. However it
means that passengers are stark naked in front of security staff.
But British children's advocate Action on Rights for
Children (ARCH) said the technology would fall foul of the country's
Protection of Children Act, which states it is an offence to
"'show" and "make" an indecent image of a child. It did not matter that the image was only on the screen
for a few moments there as the law has a clause that outlaws
"pseudo-photographs".
If the gear is allowed a paedophile could defend
themselves in court saying that they were only looking at images for a short
time and weren't storing them. Manchester Airport initially argued that its scanner was
lawful and exempt from the child pornography laws because it was
used for the "prevention and detection of crime". But now it
admits that the machine might be illegal.