People Shocked To Learn What Airport Security Used To See Through Old X-Ray Scanners

Early airport body scanners were once condemned as “virtual strip searches,” a phrase that reflected widespread discomfort and concern rather than mere exaggeration.

Passing through airport security has always carried tension, but in the early 2010s that unease was justified. Some travelers were unknowingly scanned by imaging systems that revealed far more detail than most considered acceptable.

After the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing, the TSA rapidly expanded the use of advanced screening technology. Backscatter X-ray scanners made by Rapiscan were introduced at major airports to strengthen security, but they quickly sparked backlash.

These machines produced highly detailed images of passengers’ bodies. Although officials claimed the images were not saved and were viewed remotely, public trust eroded once people realized how revealing the scans truly were.

Privacy advocates and travelers questioned whether such invasive measures were necessary or effective. The term “virtual strip search” captured fears that personal boundaries were being sacrificed in the name of safety.

Despite the program’s scale—hundreds of scanners costing thousands of dollars each—the controversy led to change. In 2013, the TSA removed backscatter scanners after they failed to meet new privacy standards requiring automated, non-detailed imaging.

They were replaced with millimeter-wave scanners that display generic outlines instead of physical detail. The episode remains a cautionary tale: when technology moves faster than ethics, privacy can be lost before safeguards are in place.