above: Don’t let Gollum on the plane!

The privacy watchdog group, Department of Homeland Security, is preparing to install specialized X-ray machines at airports that can see through clothing, but stop at the skin. From the NYT (via CNET) article:

“Well, you’ll see basically everything,” said Bill Scannell, a privacy advocate and technology consultant. “It shows nipples. It shows the clear outline of genitals.”

At least there’s sure to be an influx of new applicants for airport screener jobs. What’s worse, it’s not 100% effective. A securty expert said:

Thwarting body-scanning technology would be simple, he argues. Because of concerns about radiation, body scanners are designed not to penetrate the skin. All that’s needed is someone heavily overweight to go through the system, he said. I won’t quote him directly on the details; suffice it to say he posits that a weapon or explosives pack could be tucked into flabby body folds that won’t be penetrated by the scanner.

By extension, screeners will be on the lookout for Dolly Parton hiding two Uzis. Oh, and the name of the company that makes these X-ray devices, “Rapiscan” (pronunciation of the first syllable is ambiguous). Oh, and the name of these X-ray devices, and I’m not kidding, “backscatters”.