Next generation of airport scanners will scan every single molecule in your body

Thursday, November 29, 2012 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: airport scanners, TSA, privacy invasion

(NaturalNews) New airport scanners used by the Transportation Security Administration are already too revealing, and potentially very dangerous to your health. But they're going to seem tame by comparison once the next generation of scanners arrives - and they are on their way.

The U.S. government is developing what are called Picosecond Programmable Laser scanners, through the Department of Homeland Security - machines that will be capable of scanning every single molecule in your body.

What's worse, especially in terms of privacy, travelers likely won't even know they're being watched, since the machine can be operated from distances in excess of 150 feet, according to reports.

Technology, once again, can be a double-edged sword.

Scan anyone, anywhere, anytime

The scanner, which Homeland Security officials believe could be ready to use within a few years, will be employed in airports, but it is going to be small and light enough to be very portable, meaning it could also be installed in any building or deployed along any street. It is reportedly 10 million times faster and a million times more sensitive that scanners currently used by the TSA and U.S. Border Patrol and customs agents at border crossings and ports of entry.

According to a report by Gizmodo.com, the government subcontracted with the CIA's venture capital/technology acquisition branch, In-Q-Tel, to work on development of the device with Genia Photonics, a company that has acquired 30 patents relating to the molecular-level scanners.

According to the Genia, the scanner is able to "penetrate clothing and many other organic materials and officers spectroscopic information, especially for materials that impact safety such as explosives and pharmacological substances."

The technology isn't new, per se, it's just millions of times faster than ever. Back in 2008, a team at George Washington University built a similar laser spectrometer but just used a different process. That machine was able to sense drug metabolites in urine in under a second, trace the amount of gunpowder residue on a dollar bill and even certain chemical changers that were taking place in a plant leaf.

Russia has developed similar technology; scientists there announced in April that their "laser sensor can pick up a single molecule in a million from up to 50 meters away."

In-Q-Tel notes that "an important benefit of Genia Photonics' implementation as compared to existing solutions is that the entire synchronized laser system is comprised in a single, robust and alignment-free unit that may be easily transported for use in many environments... This compact and robust laser has the ability to rapidly sweep wavelengths in any pattern and sequence."

Honestly, privacy will be a thing of the past

This device can literally - and likely will - be used everywhere by the Leviathan and its many domestic "law enforcement" agencies, so they can invade your privacy at will.

As is usually the case in recent years regarding the development and use of sophisticated surveillance technology, there has been little governmental or legal debate on the mind-blowing implications to personal privacy; what are the limits to such technology? What privacy rights can Americans continue to expect - and receive - while in public? What's to stop law enforcement from utilizing this kind of technology improperly?

As Gizmodo points out, what sort of molecular tags will authorities be searching for and who gets to decide?

"If you unknowingly stepped on the butt of someone's joint and are carrying a sugar-sized grain of cannabis like [an] unfortunate traveler currently in jail in Dubai, will you be arrested?" the website asked. "And, since it's extremely portable, will this technology extend beyond the airport or border crossings and into police cars, with officers looking for people on the street with increased levels of adrenaline in their system to detain in order to prevent potential violent outbursts? And will your car be scanned at stoplights for any trace amounts of suspicious substances? Would all this information be recorded anywhere?"

All good questions. All without answers.

Sources:

http://gizmodo.com

http://www.newstrackindia.com

http://www.infowars.com

http://washington.cbslocal.com