Airport body scanners that produce graphic images of travelers ' bodies will be removed from checkpoints by June , the Transportation Security Administration says , ending what critics called `` virtual strip searches . '' Passengers will continue to pass through machines that display a generic outline of the human body , raising fewer privacy concerns . The TSA move came after Rapiscan , the manufacturer of the 174 so-called `` backscatter '' machines , acknowledged it could not meet a congressional-ordered deadline to install privacy software on the machines . `` It is big news , '' said Marc Rotenberg , executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center . `` It removes the concern that people are being viewed naked by the TSA screener . '' In 2004 and 2005 , the TSA at first dismissed privacy concerns , then sought to address them by placing TSA officers viewing the scanner imagery in remote locations , away from the passenger being screened . They also gave passengers the right to an alternative screening -- a pat down . Speedier trip through airport security could come within a decade . But those solutions failed to appease privacy groups and some members of Congress , who felt both alternatives could be abused . Ultimately , a problem caused by technology was solved by technology . Security companies developed privacy software , called Automated Target Recognition ( ATR ) software . But while manufacturers of the less-intrusive `` millimeter wave '' machines found ways to use ATR software , backscatter machines have not . This week , the TSA announced it is ending its contract with Rapiscan `` due to its inability to deploy non-imaging ATR software . '' How much do we really hate the TSA ? `` By June 2013 travelers will only see machines which have ATR that allow for faster throughput . This means faster lanes for the traveler and enhanced security , '' the TSA said in a statement . The TSA could allow backscatter machines in the future if the company develops the required software , the TSA said . Currently , the TSA uses the 174 backscatter machines in 30 airports , and has another 76 units in storage . It uses millimeter wave machines in 170 airports . The decision to remove the backscatter machine will make moot , at least temporarily , travelers ' concerns about the health effects of the machines . Backscatter machines use X-rays , while millimeter wave machines use radio waves . The TSA has long maintained both machines are safe , but recently signed an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to study the scanners . The study will continue even though the machines are being pulled , the TSA said , because they could be reintroduced in the future . 2013 travel : Wishes for smooth journeys .
TSA is removing certain body scanning machines . Critics said they amounted to virtual strip searches . Move came after manufacturer could not meet privacy software deadline .