from www.nypost.com – Perverts who turn full-body airport scans into online peep shows could be charged with a federal crime under legislation proposed yesterday.
The law, which will be introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), carries penalties of up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Transportation Security Administration officials insist that images from the controversial new security devices — which see through clothing — cannot be stored or transmitted and are deleted after being viewed.
But some passengers have expressed concern that the near-naked pictures can be copied and distributed before their plane gets off the ground.
Pop star Fergie is not among them. Last week, the curvy stunner agreed to be scanned at Los Angeles International Airport as she headed to the gate for a flight to New York.
The Black Eyed Peas singer got no special treatment as she de-layered and stepped out of her peep-toed shoes.
And she apparently didn’t fear that her celebrity status would encourage paparazzi to pay a crooked TSA employee for a virtual naked picture.
There have been no reported cases of airport scans hitting the Web.
But Schumer noted that one Web site published dozens of images of people who went through body-scanning machines at a Florida courthouse.
“Unfortunately, we have seen cases in the last two weeks where full-body images, which were supposedly not being saved, were,” Schumer said.
“It’s clear that even one bad apple could use TSA images and invade people’s privacy,” he said.
Travelers who decline the full-body scans can opt for invasive pat-downs that can include rubber-gloved probes of the crotch and chest.
Schumer said that while federal agencies like the IRS and Social Security Administration go to great lengths to protect private information, no such rules exist for images obtained from TSA scanners.
“While safety must come first, the TSA must take extra steps to ensure that they are not too invasive and that they are very careful when it comes to people’s privacy,” Schumer said.