The hubbub over the TSA scanners has died down a little, but our privacy is still at risk when flying. It’s no surprised companies like Betabrand are scurrying to invent scanner-proof underwear, which hides private parts from pervy machines.
Betabrand is seeking 50 people to test our their Privates underwear, to ensure they protect the user’s modesty, but also don’t lead to more lengthy strip searches. Supposedly they boxers are made from scanner-resistant fabric, with the pattern blurring out what’s underneath.
To become a tester, there is one rather large catch: you must pay them $US100 for the underwear. Sounds like a swizz if ever I heard one, but that’s the price privacy costs, evidently.
If all goes well, the underwear should hit shops in the first quarter of 2011. [Betabrand via TechCrunch]
Cameron
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 8:34 AMI’m pretty sure that wearing these kind of things would lead to people just being manually searched. I mean think about what happens now if you go through a metal detector and they can’t see what’s setting it off, they search you. Now imagine if you go through an xray machine and they can’t see under all your clothing, what are they going to do, look under there by some other means.
glennc
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 9:17 AMgot your flight socks and jocks? check
Nodeity
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 11:20 AMDoesn’t that just negate the reason they wanted to scan you in the first place. If you like having your nuts massaged by a complete stranger, go for it. :{
Jaap
Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 2:47 PMThis sounds so stupid and I don’t want to know what the reasons of this company might be to invite 50 people to test underwear…