National Opt Out Day Nov 24

Apparently November 24th has been dubbed National Opt-Out Day.  The day before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days so screening normally results in extremely long lines.  To add insult to injury many people are urging everyone to opt-out of the body scanners in favor of the pat down.

The goal of National Opt Out Day is to send a message to our lawmakers that we demand change.  No naked body scanners, no government-approved groping.  We have a right to privacy and buying a plane ticket should not mean that we’re guilty until proven innocent.  This day is needed because many people do not understand what they consent to when choosing to fly.

I agree with the cause obviously, but I’m a little hesitant about their choice of date.  Sure, that is the busiest travel day in the US, but most people reading about this are probably people who are either big into civil liberties or are regular travelers.  I know I will not be traveling on Nov 24.  If I go anywhere by plane I like to fly on Thanksgiving itself.  Flights are empty.

At the same time I understand that in order to invoke change there needs to be a big impact so if the body scanners are in full force at airports across the country and even 20% of travelers who should be going through it opt-out then that will keep the secondary screeners pretty busy.

So if you are in a line with a Millimeter Wave or Backscatter machine and you get asked the magic question “Do you have anything in your pockets?” Respond with a quick “I opt out.”

What do these machines look like?  The ones I’ve seen most often are the Millimeter Wave Machines (ABQ, IND, quite a few others).

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The other is the Backscatter which uses “low” radiation.  This is the machine used in CLT

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