Prominent lawmakers are questioning the director of the US Marshal Service, seeking clarification as to why marshals have been storing images produced from full body scans taken at an Orlando courthouse.
Sens. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, Tom Carper, D-Del., Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., signed a letter to director John Clark regarding a cache of some 35,000 body scan images, regarded by many as a temporary, if necessary, invasion or privacy.
However, the senators said that the response to an earlier inquiry on the matter was “troubling,” and did not explain why the full body scans were being saved.
One marshal was reported to have dismissed concerns by stating “everyone knows they’re being recorded when they come into the courthouse,” something the senators said displayed a lack of seriousness over privacy concerns.
The letter asks the Marshal Service to identify other locations where body scan images are being archived and explain why, and recommends adopting a policy similar to that of TSA, which prohibits the storage, transmission or retention of images from whole body imaging scans in most circumstances.
