Full-body scanner fears

THE use of full-body scanners at British airports may breach human rights laws, the country’s equality commission said yesterday, potentially undermining the latest weapon against terrorism.

Rights campaigners fear an invasion of privacy and disproportionate scrutiny of Muslim travellers.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the scanners might be breaking discrimination and privacy laws, and it had “serious doubts that the decision to roll this (body scanning) out in all UK airports complies with the law“.

In a letter to Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis, the EHRC expressed concern “about the apparent absence of safeguards to ensure the body scanners are operated in a lawful, fair and non-discriminatory manner”.

The Transport Department said it was committed to ensuring that all security measures are used legally, proportionately and in a non-discriminatory way.

It said it was “absolutely clear that those passengers who are randomly selected for screening will not be chosen because of any personal characteristics”.