Should Electronic Search Devices Be Used in Airports Essay

Should Electronic Search Devices Be Used in Airports - Essay Example Contrary to the expectations of the airport crew who expected the devices to be universally accepted by the people, they have attracted a lot of criticism instead. Since the introduction of electronic search devices in airports, debates on whether the electronic devices should be used to search people have hit the roof. Some people believe that the use of electronic devices will enhance the security level in airports while others question the social ethical issues that the devices have tagged along with their use. Many airports all around the world have installed body scanners, screening wands and metal detectors that are being used to screen the travelers before they board the airplanes. The move is basically to ensure security in a bid to counter terrorism that has brought safety issues all over the world. This paper will focus on the debate on why electronic search devices should not be used in airports. Why the devices should not be used Scientists have proved that the body scann ers that are being used in airports work under electromagnetic radiation. Being subjected to electromagnetic radiation is risky to travelers with implanted electronic gadgets like implantable cardioverter defibrillators, pacemakers and neurostimulators. The recently introduced electronic search devices impel high radiations of high frequency on the body of the travelers. The radiations penetrate the clothes and are reflected back by the person’s skin to form an image of their body and whatever is in their clothes. There is no telling whether certain amounts of the radiations can penetrate through the human skin and affect implanted medical gadgets. The effect on pacemakers would be temporary disruption of output which could be fatal, hence threatening the right to life on the individuals. Different states should be compelled to protect their citizens by halting the use of these devices (Bloxham, 2010). The body scanners use advanced technology to create the exact images of th e travelers being screened. The crew in the observation rooms in the airports is able to see through travelers clothes. The images created portray the person’s naked body. They are actually able to see a revealing image of the passenger’s private parts. This is an outright invasion of personal privacy. There could even be a chance that the images formed could leak to other sources. For this, the devices should be abolished with immediate effect (Savage, 2010). Seeing that the electronic devices allow the people in the control room to view a vivid image of the passenger’s bodies, they reveal their bodily anomalies that could lead to stigmatization. For instance, a passenger could be having certain body deformations that they are very sensitive about. Revealing these body parts deformations would greatly humiliate them and it is invasive of their privacy. Even if the travelers images are kept private, the psychological effects of knowing that someone somewhere has seen their body anomalies could be too much to bear. The affected people could develop fears to travel if everywhere they go their bodies are viewed. This is an indirect violation of their right to free movement (Savage, 2010). The body scanners were introduced to replace the controversial pat-downs. The perplexing thing is the airports have moved travelers from the frying pan into