No. H045/13
For release - April 16, 2013
OTTAWA — The Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Transport), announced today that the Harper Government is deploying software on Canada's full body scanners (FBS) that will enhance passenger privacy at airports, while continuing to ensure the safety and security of Canadian air travellers.
The Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) software for full body scanners is being updated at major Canadian airports. This new software produces computer generated "stick figures" rather than an outline of the passenger's body, enhancing privacy for air travellers. The new full body scanner software is just as secure as the software it replaces.
"Our Government is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all passengers travelling through Canadian airports," said Minister Fletcher. "This new software will ensure the continued safety and security of Canadians passengers, while respecting their privacy. This is great news for Canadian air travellers."
To continue to ensure that every passenger's privacy is fully respected, the scanner does not collect personal information from the passenger it screens nor is the image correlated in any way with the name of the passenger or any other identifying information.
The ATR technology is in line with international standards for security screening. Other countries including the United States and the Netherlands are also using this technology.
Full body scanners at Canadian airports do not pose a risk to human health and safety. Health Canada has assessed the technical information on these devices and concluded that the radiofrequency energy emitted by the device is well within Canada's guidelines for safe human exposure.
For additional information on body scanner technology, please see the attached backgrounder.
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Contacts:
Brayden Akers
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Steven Fletcher
Minister of State (Transport)
Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Media Relations
CATSA
613-998-4527
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