New airport scanners being tested

BERLIN (AP) :

Germany is starting a six-month trial of the much-criticised full-body scanners at one of its major airports. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere launched the test yesterday with two devices at Hamburg airport in northern Germany. German news agency DAPD reported that use of the scanner during the test period will be voluntary.

The scanners, which produce an outline of passengers' bodies beneath their clothes, have been tested at airports in Britain, the Netherlands and the United States, but are opposed in much of Europe. German politicians have denounced the scanners as an unnecessary invasion of privacy. Supporters say they can detect concealed objects such as liquids or plastic weapons that metal detectors miss.