Chris Thompson   Chris Thompson on the internet

Have you heard of the naked scanner?

Neither had I, until today. But I was browsing the news earlier, and came across this article on the BBC’s website – the scanner is being tested in Manchester airport to speed up airport security checks, and reduce the hassle and time-consuming nature of being individually checked by guards, and having to take off your belt, your shoes, and your jacket, etc. Which all sounds rather wonderful.

The problem, of course, is that it produces a naked image of yourself, and transmits it so someone in a remote location somewhere nearby.

I suppose people are complaining because of the notion of a big brother society, where we can be watched and seen and tracked in all manner of places, all over the country. This is a step too far. It’s like something out of James Bond, like those glasses he had in a recent movie that allowed him to see through women’s clothes.

But is it, really? Sure, you can argue we live in a big brother society. These days, CCTV cameras are pretty much everywhere – I even saw one in the cinema the other day, not outside, but inside, by the escalators – is that not more worrying than being seen in black and white, for the briefest of moments, at an airport?

And then there’s GPS vehicle tracking – another invention that means you can pretty much be followed everywhere. Someone can find your vehicle, and follow it in real time on a computer screen, and track you down.

I think I would be more worried about the radiation from the scanning device in Manchester than being seen sort of naked. They say it’s only a minute amount, that you’re safe for thousands of trips through the scanner, but that’s not the point: I still don’t want to subject myself to that. And let’s not forget this is airport security we’re talking about. I would rather fly safe in the knowledge that I’m not about to be blown up, than worry about being seen naked.

When it comes to the big brother stuff, there are far worse things than being seen in a black and white image somewhere. Something like RFID tracking (imagine buying a product and having a chip in it so people can track where it goes!) is probing more worryingly into my privacy, I think, than the naked scanner.

But maybe that’s just me.