New airline baggage scanners recording contents of all electronics - privacy concerns growing

Those scanners detect weird electronic configurations like modified batteries, not your actual files. That TSA agent either didn't understand the tech or was intentionally misleading you. Classic TSA misunderstanding their own tech

LOL imagine believing tsa could access encrypted devices through a conveyor belt scanner in seconds when FBI takes weeks to crack single phone. Physics + computer science don't work that way. Agent was power tripping or joking. Either way 🙄

Saw them installing these at Denver last month. Asked supervisor what they do and got total corporate speak non-answer about "enhanced security protocols" and "additional detection capabilities" but zero specifics. Super sketchy response increases my suspicion tbh

Why y'all acting surprised? Govt been secretly scanning everything for decades. Snowden leaks showed this already happening at internet backbone level. TSA just bringing that capability to physical checkpoints now too

They absolutely cannot read your files but COULD potentially detect large encrypted volumes or specific file signatures. Still privacy nightmare but not quite "seeing everything." Source: cybersecurity researcher who's studied similar systems

My brother works for DHS (not TSA specifically) and says these scanners use AI-driven anomaly detection for electronic components only. Think modified power banks, unusual wiring, etc. Content scanning would require device powered on + connected to something

TSA = security theater with 95% failure rate at actual threat detection. they can't even reliably find real weapons, no way they're now digital forensic wizards. focus on making you FEEL watched rather than actual security

This type of tech DOES exist but typically requires specialized equipment and direct device access. Either 1) TSA agent was completely uninformed 2) there's scary new tech we don't know about or 3) most likely: they're using psychological deterrence through rumors

If true, there's massive legal issues here. 4th amendment protections require specific warrants for device searches at borders (Riley v. California). Blanket scanning without suspicion = unconstitutional. Lawyers would have field day with this

Just flew through Heathrow where they OPENLY admit scanning devices for battery composition and heat signatures (looking for battery bombs). That's the actual purpose of these systems, not content scanning. US airports being intentionally vague causing confusion

The actual technology uses millimeter wave scanning to detect reflectivity patterns of various materials, not digital content examination. Still concerning but very different from what that agent claimed