Shah Rukh Khan Claims Naked Body Scanner Images Of Him Were Printed, Circulated By Airport Staff
According to reports, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been signing printouts of his X-rays from full-body scan machines that have been recently installed at Heathrow.
Talking on popular British chat show "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross," Khan reported he had seen female members of staff looking at printouts of his revealing scan. He then autographed the printouts.
While Khan, who has other controversies on his mind at the moment, seemed happy to laugh off the event, others have worried about the threat to privacy the incident seems to reveal. Lord Adonis, transport secretary for the British government, has previously assured those with concerns about the scanners that images would be deleted immediately, and staff properly trained.
However, in this case at least, it would appear staff have not followed the recommended procedures. Khan is reported to have told Ross:
'I was in London recently going through the airport and these new machines have come up, the body scans. You've got to see them. It makes you embarrassed - if you're not well endowed.
'You walk into the machine and everything - the whole outline of your body - comes out.'
Later he explains:
'Then I saw these girls - they had these printouts. I looked at them. I thought they were some forms you had to fill. I said 'give them to me' - and you could see everything inside. So I autographed them for them.'
A British Airways Authority (BAA) spokeswoman has challenged Khan's claims, stating that the machine cannot print out images. She also implied Khan may have been lying about his scan, as the machines had only been installed four days before the chat show aired and were unlikely to have been used on Khan. There would be no investigation as Khan's account "simply could not be true".
However, other accounts say the machines could be used in such a way. Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) obtained documents, later passed to CNN, body scanners purchased have been specified to have the ability to store and send images when in "test mode."
Full-body scanners had been implemented following the failed bombing attempt of 'underwear bomber' Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who managed to conceal his explosive device in his underwear.
However, the scanners have come up against strong protest from privacy groups, who fear that the detailed images could be considered erotic or pornographic.
Shah Rukh Khan Claims Naked Body Scanner Images Of Him Were Printed, Circulated By Airport Staff
Film Star Claims Naked Body Scanner Images Of Him Were Circulated By Airport Staff
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