The European parliament backed Wednesday the deployment of body scanners at airports, but on condition that travelers have the right to refuse to walk through the controversial machines.
European lawmakers gave their conditional support in a show of raised hands a day before the European Commission decides whether to authorise states in the 27-nation European Union to use body scanners at airport security checkpoints.
The parliament has the power to overturn the decision within three months.
The use of scanners caused an uproar in the United States last year because they produce a graphic image of a person's body, giving rise to the name "naked scanner."
Euro MPs do not oppose body scanners and agree they can enhance security, but they say passengers should have the right to refuse to walk through the machines and opt for a hand search instead.
Source and full story: The Independent, 7 July 2011
