Civil Rights Violations at Airports
As airports are the hubs of both domestic and international travel, they are highly regulated places to ensure global security. However, sometimes in the news, or perhaps in the memories of someone close to us, we can see the invasion of passengers’ civil rights at airports. At airports, where a balance must be struck between security and privacy, this balance can sometimes be skewed and undesirable situations can arise. These include controversial issues such as violations of passengers’ privacy and discrimination.
Discrimination
In the news or on social media platforms, we can see people of certain ethnic groups, religions or nationalities complaining about airports. Their issue is usually that they feel discriminated against at airports. This is because when someone makes such a claim, it can lead to racial profiling in airport controls, which in turn leads to the argument that people’s civil rights are being violated. If you believe that you have faced such discrimination at the airport, you should contact the best civil rights lawyer in Fresno, California.
Privacy Violations
Airports have had high security measures for quite a long time. But if we go to the heart of it, they have actually been tightened after 9/11. These security measures include methods such as full body scanners or security scans, but sometimes these can be seen as an interference with passengers’ privacy rights. Since these technologies can take digital images of passengers’ bodies, for some people they can be seen as an invasion of physical privacy.
In addition, sometimes passengers are randomly selected and subjected to detailed searches, and in such cases some passengers may report psychological discomfort beyond personal privacy.
Data Collection
No matter how much people try to keep their data private, sometimes the platforms they share their information with don’t have adequate security measures in place, and this information can spread. It is possible to say that people have the same concern about airports. Because airports use biometric scanning systems, search electronic devices or collect personal data from passengers. Even when there is sensitive information, people are concerned about how this data is stored, who has access to it and how much of it can be used for security reasons.
Psychological and Social Pressure
The harsh nature of these checks at airports can put psychological pressure on people. However, even if the people who are asked to go through extra security are randomly selected, they may face social volatility.
Such situations may even lead to the restriction of certain people’s freedom to travel, as some people may refrain from traveling simply because they are afraid of these harsh security methods.
How to Ensure Security While Protecting Civil Rights
It is of course possible to create a scenario in which people’s rights are not violated but at the same time airport security is ensured. In order to create such a scenario, international law and human rights norms would need to be taken into account. More transparent airport security measures and clearer communication can help to avoid violations of passengers’ rights. However, one of the most important things that can be done to strike a balance is to ensure that passengers are properly informed.
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