UK public would be willing to use

Nine in ten members of the UK public would be willing to use the full electronic body scanners to ensure a safe passage, research has claimed. According to the latest Unisys Security Index published today, UK public concern is up across the board, in terms of financial, national, Internet and personal safety.

The Index tracks consumer security concerns every six months.
It said the aviation industry’s response to the Christmas Day bomber “seemed to have struck a chord with the electorate” with 90% of the UK public stating they would be willing to undergo full electronic body scans to ensure a safe passage.

According to the survey, 91% of passengers would be willing to readily submit biometric data such as iris scans and fingerprints to identify them when travelling by air.

Neil Fisher, vice president of global security solutions at Unisys, said: “With the British Airports Authority (BAA) also reporting positive responses to the full body scanners, it appears that the early controversy surrounding the technology has died down and people are taking a pragmatic approach to their safety.

“The question is has the country done enough to subvert another terrorist plot? What we have done so far is react to threats as they occur, rather than take a holistic view of the threat.”