At the moment, body scanners based on terahertz and millimeter-wave technologies are implemented at airports around
the world. Thus, challenges of acceptance and acceptability become pressing. In this context, we present the results of an
ethical research project on the development and implementation of body scanners. We will show which requirements
concerning the system, its developers, and its users should be met in order that the scanners can be acceptable from an
ethical point of view. These requirements involve, among others, questions of privacy, health, data protection, and
security processes.
A special ethical challenge for body scanners, however, still remains: Automatic anonymization processes are based on
the assumption of "normal" bodies. Certain groups of persons with "deviant bodies" (e.g. persons with hidden
disabilities, persons with aberrant sex characteristics, etc.) are affected in a special way: Their deviation from the
standard (for instance their disability) is socially hidden, but eventually exposed by body scanners, even (and even more)
if the produced pictures are anonymized. Here, we address the question how the possible discrimination against and
exclusion of people with "deviant bodies" could be mitigated or prevented.
Terahertz and millimeter-wave imaging technologies, wherever they are applied to human beings, generate problems
with the "naked" body. Security issues thus inevitably lead to ethical questions of privacy and intimacy. Less apparent
but no less important are other issues such as discrimination and the question of reducing this problem through post
processing of data; scalability; questions of controlling the controllers; questions of proliferation. Ethical research alone
can not provide acceptability. However, ultimately innovative technologies will not achieve widespread and sustainable
acceptance without a fundamental clarification of the ethically relevant issues.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.