Washington ( CNN ) -- Airport security policies `` have to evolve '' to ensure the safety of passengers while minimizing invasive procedures such as enhanced pat downs , White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday . Gibbs stopped short of signaling any imminent change in the enhanced screening , which some passengers complain amounts to legal groping . However , Gibbs made clear that the government is open to adjusting the procedures in response to public feedback and intelligence gathered on possible plots . `` This is a process that , based on intelligence and based on feedback , is and will continue to evolve and change . '' Gibbs told reporters , adding the goal is to `` maximize the security and protection and minimize that invasiveness . '' He noted that airport screening has evolved in recent years to include the banning of most liquids , removing shoes and other steps in response to specific threats , and added : `` The policies have to evolve . '' Travelers who set off metal detectors at airport security are asked to undergo extra screening . If they refuse to go through an enhanced visual device that shows the body through clothing , they are required to submit to the thorough pat down in order to fly . Incidents such as last December 's failed bombing of a U.S.-bound flight by a man with explosives in his underwear and the recent detection of explosives in air cargo packages from Yemen prompted the enhanced screening . However , the more thorough pat-down process has generated alarm and anger , with some travelers complaining they were given little warning of the procedure and that they felt violated by the touching of private parts . In interviews and statements Sunday and Monday , the head of the Transportation Security Administration said the enhanced screening was necessary for now , but the policies could be revised as time goes on . `` We welcome feedback and comments on the screening procedures from the traveling public , and we will work to make them as minimally invasive as possible while still providing the security that the American people want and deserve , '' TSA Administrator John Pistole said in a statement released Sunday . `` We are constantly evaluating and adapting our security measures , and as we have said from the beginning , we are seeking to strike the right balance between privacy and security . '' Pistole also told CNN that the outcry over the new screening was overblown . `` Very few people actually receive the pat down . In spite of all the public furor about this , very few people do , '' he said . On Friday , Pistole issued a public service video announcement offering travelers guidance on what to expect from TSA security officials ahead of the holiday travel season . `` As you enter the checkpoint , you 'll be directed to go through either a walk-through metal detector , or in some airports , an Advanced Imaging Technology -- AIT -- unit , '' he said in the video . `` If you are directed to pass through an AIT , you may opt out . If you choose to opt out you will receive a thorough pat down by someone of the same gender , '' he said . `` We very much appreciate your involvement , cooperation and assistance in assuring the safety of you , the traveling public . ''
White House spokesman stops short of calling for changes . Some travelers complain that enhanced pat downs are too intrusive . TL;DR The Transportation Security Administration is considering a new policy to require passengers who want to fly on commercial airlines to submit their genitals and other body parts to an invasive pat-down search.