How to perform a security check without undressing people. Can terahertz technology answer the conflict between security and privacy?

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How to perform a security check without undressing people. Can terahertz technology answer the conflict between security and privacy?

May, Torsten / Meyer, Hans-Georg

People have a desire for security, especially when they are about to enter an aircraft. Nobody wants to sit next to a terrorist flying 30,000 ft above ground. So, modern technology is expected to provide a solution to screen anybody willing to enter an aircraft for hidden threats. Obviously the actual solution using metal detectors and manual control is secure only to a certain level; moreover it is inefficient and offending. Security screening and respecting privacy at the same time constitute a conflict which cannot be easily solved. Characteristic for that dilemma is the actual public discussion regarding the so called 'strip scanner , where a technology with high security standard obviously violates privacy when in a figurative sense it undresses people and even worse illuminates them with arguable radiation (x-ray or millimetre waves). This article describes a possible solution, which respects people's privacy and complies with their basic need for security.