Why Rapiscan Airport Scanners Were Pulled After Shocking Privacy Concerns
Updated 11:12 8 Nov 2026 GMTPublished 20:44 8 Apr 2026 GMT+1
They only lasted a few years before being withdrawn entirely
The airport can already be a pretty stressful experience before you're pulled aside by security and forced to stand in a special machine.
Even if you're completely innocent, you're probably still concerned about whether your laces have a bit of metal in or if you forgot to take off your watch, but before 2013, you probably had to be worried about something else when going through security.
You see, certain airport scanners had to be withdrawn completely after being dubbed 'virtual strip teases', with the Rapsican scanners introduced in the US in 2010 after a failed terrorist attack.
And given that some folks can go through scanners at awkward moments, including one bloke who was unfortunate enough to have an erection during his scan, it could be pretty problematic.
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In 2009, tensions were already high around airport scanners due to the 2001 attempted shoe bombing by Richard Reid, in which he tried to detonate a pair of shoes containing homemade explosives on American Airlines Flight 63.
Eight years later, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was caught after trying to blow up a Detroit-bound flight using explosives he smuggled in his underwear.
The shoes Richard Reid wore on American Airlines Flight 63 which contained explosives (FBI)
This backfired, leading him to be set on fire due to a malfunction in the device, with Abdulmutallab being tackled to the ground by passengers and staff and extinguished.
In response, the US decided to bring in even more high-tech scanners, picking the Rapiscan ones, which were a staggering $180,000 a pop.
Security consultant Will Geddes previously told LADbible: “The biggest problem that obviously the TSA had was if it's body worn and you went through a traditional gate, it would just pick up anything metallic and there was no means of actually looking at the body intrinsically to find out if there was anything body worn.”
The full body scanners are no longer in operation (X)
Geddes said after Abdulmutallab’s attempted bombing that obviously, 'all the airports went into this action, a sort of tailspin with we've got to get this new security in place now.’
He added: “Typically in the States, for federal agencies, the TSA especially, they just buy the first thing that they could possibly get.”
The first thing ended up being the Rapiscan scanners, which Geddes said were ‘very invasive’.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was sentenced to life (U.S. Marshals Service via Getty Images)
They showed everything, being referred to as ‘virtual strip teases’ in which TSA officers were able to see people fully naked when they went through.
This led to concerns being raised in 2012 around privacy after widespread complaints.
Rapiscan were given a deadline in 2013 to update their software to remove this, and as they were unable to meet that deadline, the travel agency released the following statement: “TSA has strict requirements that all vendors must meet for security effectiveness and efficiency.
Rapiscan machines were installed in US airports in 2010, but were withdrawn three years later (Michael Fein/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Due to its inability to deploy non-imaging Automated Target Recognition (ATR) software by the Congressionally-mandated June 2013 deadline, TSA has terminated part of its contract with Rapiscan.
"By June 2013 travellers will only see machines which have ATR that allow for faster throughput.
"This means faster lanes for the traveller and enhanced security. As always, use of this technology is optional."
Now, thankfully, if you walk through security scanners, they don’t just get a full view of you nude as they could for a few years.
Featured Image Credit: X
Topics: Travel, US News
