But what most people didn’t realize is that for a while, airport security staff were able to see a lot more than just what was inside your luggage. In fact, the level of detail in early body scanners left passengers shocked when they found out what was visible.
The story of these scanners has resurfaced online, and many are still finding it hard to believe that this technology ever made it past the testing phase.
The technology was rolled out across major U.S. airports by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and sparked major backlash for how much it revealed. The images these machines produced showed a level of physical detail that many found deeply invasive and unnecessary for airport security.
Officials claimed the scanners were brought in after the 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt as part of a broader effort to improve passenger safety. However, the rollout quickly raised questions about how much privacy passengers should be expected to give up for security.
Critics soon nicknamed them ‘virtual strip searches’ because of how much of the human body they exposed. The images displayed clear outlines of body shapes and even personal anatomy, sparking outrage from travelers and privacy advocates alike. Social media lit up with comments from people who couldn’t believe what these machines revealed.
The criticism only grew louder, and by 2013, the TSA finally decided to pull the scanners from airports nationwide. The main issue was that the machines couldn’t meet updated privacy regulations requiring new software to protect passenger images.
Specifically, the scanners were not compatible with Automated Target Recognition (ATR) software, which would have replaced those detailed, full-body visuals with a generic, less revealing outline that still highlighted security concerns.
Shawna Malvini Redden, a researcher and author of 101 Pat-Downs, explained to Reader’s Digest: “Early versions of the scanners came out without any privacy protections. Now, machines generate generic images instead of the passenger’s unique image.”
For many travelers who weren’t aware of what those early machines could actually see, learning about them now has come as quite a surprise. Social media users have expressed shock and disbelief after seeing examples of the old scans.
One stunned user wrote: “I thought X-ray meant you could only see bones,”—a reaction many others seem to share after realizing just how revealing those machines really were.
