Arguments: X-Ray Tests Both Security, Privacy

In writing essays, it is important to know where your information comes from in order for your information to be considered relevant. When you are doing any type of writing especially academic it is necessary to know the source of your information as well as the author who has provided the information in order for you to reference your material as well as backup for the material you present. This is adequate because with proof and reference, your reader knows that he or she is not looking at material that is just made up rather, he or she is looking at material backup by research. It is also important to include the author if you or using his or her work within your writing. In the next few paragraph, I will analyze the essay called “X-ray Tests both Security, Privacy”, written by Thomas Frank on the issue of the use of X-rays. Thomas Frank talks about how scientists struggled for years to build a successful x-ray machine that can look through a person clothing to spot any hidden weapons such as guns and knives. Frank talks about how scientist wanted to produce an x-ray machine that would produce explicit images of passenger’s body.

“X-ray Tests both Security, Privacy”, is an essay that was written on December 27, 2006 by a correspondent for USA Today. This USA correspondent goes by the name of Thomas Frank as mentioned above. It is important to know when this essay was written in case there is a change in information or an update within the system that wasn’t mentioned with the essay in case you are using the information as a source. For example, if I was to write and academic paper and use information from another source other than myself, I would have to give that person the correct citation, but the respect for referencing their material. It is also important to know when the essay was written for reference purpose in case any information has to be cited.

The information in this essay is important because it talks about the use of an airport x-rays and how the TSA is does a digital strip search and allow for the images being taken to be stored temporarily. Marc Rotenberg said, “People really need to understand that the TSA is putting in place technology that does in fact do a digital strip search and stores those images at least temporarily.” An advocate doubting TSA assurance is feared by the thought that the machine could produce these images and they are later found on the internet. Thomas Frank said, “The technology, called backscatter X-ray, shoots low-intensity X-ray beams that penetrate clothing and bounce off a person’s skin, or scatter backward. Sensors detect backscatter X-rays to create an image of the person’s body and items being carried, such as watches, keys and weapons.” So with that being said the backscatter it’s said to show the relevant other than what needs to stay unknown. According to Ellen Howe a spokeswoman of TSA, “There’s a privacy-security balance,” “We can see what we need to see without seeing what we don’t need to see.”

When it comes to the claims the author is making within the essay, he is really not the one making claim whether, he is really just writing on the basis of other people and their knowledge of the used equipment. The author talks about the advantages and disadvantages of the x-ray technology which can easily be considered as his claim, because of the technology storing images of the airport passengers. The way the author backs up his claim is by using the words from other sources. There are many names mentioned in the essay and with those names that are mentioned, the author is letting his readers know what was said and who said it by the quotations marks within the essay. Within this essay you will see that the other depends on other source for the information that he provides within the essay.

The essay has many quotation marks, which are set in place to quote words and statements made by other people. The other chooses this form of writing so that he can be in the clear of any information used that cannot be proven true. In this essay, the author is just shinning light on the issue of these x-rays being used, and the product that comes from this technology. Therefore, the claim the author is making is considered facts from the point of view of people whom are relevant in the situation as well as knowledgeable about the technology. Each person the author quoted was part of some type of association or business, whether he or she was a spokeswoman or the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Since, the claim was identified as the author talking about how the use of the new machines are seeing a person total profile while the company is stating that the machine is only seeing what needs to be seen such as weapons or anything thing found on the person body. The warrants for this claim would be the fact that the images are being stored and that they are considered to be explicit images. The essay only elaborates on the basis of the new x-ray machine and how they were testing it out to make sure that the only thing that is being shown is things such as weapons, watches and so on. The people making statements within this essay, sets up information show that the readers have both outlooks, negative and positive so that he or she can make his or her own assumption on the new technology.

To conclude, even though the author essay is mainly statements made from other people, he is making his point without doing simple researches but by receiving adequate information from a vital source. In reading the essay, I as the receiver and reader felt that the essay was an effective argument because it not only got the perspective of one source but many. These many sources stated their points of views and their information with hopes to not only gets their points across but to an outlook whether it was good or bad on the technology being tested. I do believe that the author Thomas Frank should have went more in detail with the accuracy of this system as well as the components. Even though the author has a well written essay, it could have used a bit more information that was directly quoted from other source.

Reference

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-12-26-backscatter_x.htm Copyright 2011 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Posted 12/26/2006 10:36 PM ET |
Updated 12/27/2006 7:07 AM ET| |