Guest LAW Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 The Transportation Security Administration issued new security directives to all United States and international air carriers with inbound flights to the U.S. effective January 4, 2010. The new directive includes long-term, sustainable security measures developed in consultation with law enforcement officials and our domestic and international partners. Because effective aviation security must begin beyond our borders, and as a result of extraordinary cooperation from our global aviation partners, TSA is mandating that every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening. The directive also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on U.S. bound international flights. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwNcFKUy-0o The video shows Rapiscan OSI Systems owned by CEO Deepak Chopra. I am surprised by the rush to implement yet another developing technology that is both expensive and not proven to be able to reliably detect the explosives used in this last terrorist event. There is extensive research reinforcing the proven ability of detector dogs to detect explosives without the intrusive privacy issues involved in full body scanning. It is not certain that even with a high resolution image of a traveler's groin region that a half cup of explosive powder would be detectable. - Dr. Kenneth G. Furton, Professor of Chemistry, International Forensic Research Institute, Florida International University Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has been on television and in print promoting body scanners made by his client Deepak Chopra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSun Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) Deepak Chopra presided over the NASDAQ Market Open on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 at 9:30 am Eastern Time. OSI Systems has been listed on The NASDAQ National Market since October of 1997. As a high-growth technology company OSI Systems has had a wonderful home on The NASDAQ Stock Market. Since our initial listing on NASDAQ in 1997 our revenues have more than tripled. We are honored to have been invited to open the market. - Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra Chief Executive Officer Deepak Chopra is the founder of OSI and has served as president, chief executive officer and a director of that company since OSI's inception in May 1987. He has served as OSI's chairman since February 1992. Deepak also serves as the president and chief executive officer of the Company's major subsidiaries. From 1976 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1987, Deepak held various positions with ILC Technology, Inc. ("ILC"), a publicly-held manufacturer of lighting products, including serving as chairman chief executive officer, president and chief operating officer of its United Detector Technology division. In 1990, OSI acquired certain assets of ILC's United Detector Technology division. Deepak has also held various positions with Intel Corporation, TRW Semiconductors and RCA Semiconductors. Deepak holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics and a Master of Science degree in Semiconductor Electronics. Ajay Mehra Executive V.P., OSI Systems, Inc. Edited January 7, 2010 by BlackSun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ACLU Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 This technology involves a striking and direct invasion of privacy. It produces strikingly graphic images of passengers’ bodies, essentially taking a unclothed picture of air passengers as they pass through security checkpoints. It is a virtual strip search that reveals not only our private body parts, but also intimate medical details like colostomy bags. Many people who wear adult diapers feel they will be humiliated. That degree of examination amounts to a significant assault on the essential dignity of passengers. Some people do not mind being viewed unclothed but many do and they have a right to have their integrity honored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Orwell Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 WeCU — as in "We See You" system has hidden camera sensors that can detect a slight rise in body temperature and heart rate. WeCU seeks to identify concealed intentions by uncovering an associative connection between the subjects and defined threats. How does it work? WeCU CEO Ehud Givon explains: "The technology is patented. We take advantage of human characteristics, according to which when a person intends to carry out a particular activity or has a great acquaintance or involvement with a particular activity, he carries with him information and feelings that are associated with the subject or activity. In effect, his brain creates a collection of associations that are relevant to the subject. "When this person is exposed to stimuli targeted at these associations - such as a picture of a partner to the activity, items from the scene of a crime that he carried out, the symbol of the organization in whose name he is acting or a code word - he will respond emotionally and cognitively to these stimuli. The response is expressed with a number of very subtle physiological and behavioral changes during the exposure to the stimulus," Givon said. ATHENA GS3 Security Implementations Ltd. is a leading security integrator safeguarding individuals, corporations, and institutions around the world from threats of terrorism, regardless of source or motivation. The company's mission is to combine the Israeli Expertise, which derives from the special needs of the State of Israel over its fifty years of fighting against terror, and the needs of our clients in order to present the most effective programs and tools to maximize safety and security for travelers, installations, cargo and public at large. The immediate motivation for such security programs is safety and security. Years of confronting and dealing with terror, threats against aviation, ports, buses, bus stations, public buildings and sensitive installations on one hand, and a formidable capability of executing integrated projects in a wide variety of disciplines and infrastructure areas in different geographical environments (cultures and languages). The complex security requirements of our generation demand seamless integration of sophisticated technologies. ATHENA GS3's interdisciplinary in-house skills have earned it a reputation as a leading integrator. With in-depth knowledge across a broad spectrum of best of breed technologies, ATHENA GS3's expertise covers the entire range of security and intelligence systems, including computerized CCTV, surveillance, perimeter security, management, C4I, and tele-management systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lillie Coney Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), joined by thirty organizations, today urged Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to suspend use of Whole Body Imaging systems. EPIC stressed that privacy problems raised by this technology have not been adequately addressed. The letter is being released as the annual Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference opens in Washington, DC. The CFP conference has often been the launch pad for cutting-edge Internet campaigns. Whole Body Imaging systems, such as backscatter x-ray and millimeter wave, capture detailed images of air travelers stripped unclothed. The TSA, a part of the Homeland Security agency, claims that these systems are necessary for airport security and that they will not save the images of American air passengers. However, the TSA also said that these scanners would be used only for passengers who had raised suspicions. Now the agency announced that these new scanners would replace metal detectors as the primary screening device for all passengers. Following the TSA announcement, EPIC launched a national campaign urging that the program be blocked until the privacy risks are fully evaluated. EPIC also established the web site "stopdigitalstripsearches.org" and created the Facebook group "Stop Airport Strip Searches," which now has several hundred members. EPIC also said that the vendors, L-3 and Rapiscan, should appear in Congress and explain to the public how these systems really work. "The TSA's reversal on the use of these devices makes clear the privacy risk with this program," said Marc Rotenberg, EPIC Executive Director. "There must be a thorough investigation and clear legal rules established." Mr. Rotenberg continued, "The privacy of American air travelers should not be left to the whim of federal officials with x-ray cameras." Unlike many federal programs, the TSA has gone forward with the Whole Body Imaging program without any public comment. In their letter to Sec. Napolitano, the organizations called for a 90-day process to allow the public to comment on the agency's proposal. "The TSA must be more open regarding whole body imaging. Our letter requests a public rulemaking process to determine whether the privacy protection measures are effective." The groups said that the TSA should suspend the use of these scanners as primary screening and inform travelers of their rights to other screening techniques, such as a physical pat down or search of carry-on bags. Additionally, the groups said that the TSA needs to evaluate the medical and health implications of exposure to this technology. The organizations signing the letter included Consumer Federation of America, ACLU, the Constitution Project, Consumer Action, Liberty Coalition, The Rutherford Institute, and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. More information is available at: Letter Urging Suspension of Whole Body Imaging http://privacycoalition.org/stopwholebodyimaging/ Background on Whole Body Imaging http://epic.org/privacy/airtravel/backscatter/ Stop Digital Strip Searches web site http://www.stopdigitalstripsearches.org/ Stop Airport Searches Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=179598280013 Computers Freedom and Privacy 2009 http://www.cfp2009.org/ Graphics http://epic.org/graphics/stop_vss_hi_res.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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