It was recently revealed that naked images of Shah Rukh Khan were printed out and circulated by Heathrow airport staff in London.
Last week, the British transport secretary, Lord Adonis said that images taken by new full-body X-ray scanners, allows security to detect non-metallic devices, objects and weapons on a person’s body, but also reveals organs and genitals.
Speaking to BBC talk show host, Jonathan Ross, Shah Rukh said that he autographed printed scans of his body for female security officers saying it was an “embarrassing incident” at London airport.
“I came out [of the scanner] and then I saw these girls and they had these printouts,” Khan said.
“So I looked at them, I thought maybe it’s a form you’re supposed to [sign] … and you could see everything inside. And then I’ve autographed them for them.”
The scanners are currently being used at Heathrow and Manchester airports. Speaking to the BBC, Lord Adonis said that the new system was the same as a “pat-down” search.
“A pat-down search is a pretty intrusive procedure but people accept that because it is important that we do detect whether there are weapons or other powerful substances that people may be carrying,” he said.
He went on to say that images which are captured by body scanners are immediately deleted.
“Staff are, of course, properly trained and supervised who manage the body scanners,” said Adonis.
The actor’s comments have since highlighted privacy concerns of this fairly new technology. British Airways has responded by saying they are “completely factually incorrect” and “simply could not be true.” The airline has also said that there is no facility for printing images from body scanners.
