TSA

Scan or touch? Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, the Transportation Security Association has revised airport security procedures, requiring all passengers to choose between full-body image scans or pat-downs. The options have parents debating which is the lesser of two evils – exposing their tots to low levels of radiation, or allowing TSA workers to touch their lil ones.

Reports of kids' private parts being touched and frightened preschoolers, all in the name of security, have many parents hitting the road, rather than the skies this holiday season. Have your plans changed?

With heightened news coverage due to the impending holiday season, the new TSA security screening devices have many worried about privacy concerns, but some are also worried about potential exposure to radiation. There are two types of new body-scanning devices making their way to airports across the country: one that uses millimeter-wave technology, and a second that uses backscatter X-ray technology. The former is of minimal concern because it doesn't expose passengers to any notable level of radiation. The backscatter technology, though, has some health experts concerned, even though officials from the TSA and FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health have certified that the machines are completely safe.

Backscatter technology exposes travelers to a small amount of radiation as they walk through the scanner; a concern especially for pilots, frequent fliers, and children, who, some say, could have to worry about skin cancer. According to the director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University, the risks associated with one-time exposure are very, very low. But every time a person is exposed to radiation, the small associated risk is multiplied by the number of exposures. If you're a person who flies several times a month (or each week), the seemingly small risk could potentially turn into a larger problem.

For now (and to protect your holiday sanity), casual travelers — especially those who will be flying for the holidays — shouldn't worry about the effects of these machines.

Just announced by the TSA: your 11-inch MacBook Air can stay in its bag when going through airport security. The 13-inch model, however, can not; you must take it out as you would a regular laptop. The 11-inch Air gained special airport clearance because it's smaller than the average laptop.

For more on the new rule, keep reading.

While the TSA introduced light regulations for Apple's iPad (you only need to take it out of your carry-on if you're asked to by a TSA employee), Israel has taken a completely different stance. Apparently, they have banned iPads from entering the country and will confiscate yours at the airport if you try to bring it in. So far, 10 iPads have been confiscated. When it's taken from you, your iPad will go to a customs warehouse, where you'll have to pay "rent" for each day it's there. The device will be returned to you upon leaving, or you can make arrangements to ship it out of the country.

Apparently, Israel isn't too sure about the device and wants to wait until the device is deemed appropriate for Israeli standards before approving it for use in their country.

Good news, iPad owners. In most cases, you won't have to remove your iPad from your bag when going through security checkpoints in airports. According to the TSA, there are several reasons for the allowance: since iPads are much thinner than traditional laptops, they're easier to see on the scanner. Plus, those toting an iPad are less likely to have a ton of accessories like external hard drives, additional wires, and other accessories that can complicate screenings.

Of course, the TSA does reserve the right to ask you to remove the device, but they say they'll be communicating the new iPad policy to all screeners immediately. Here's hoping the security agents recognize the new gadgets right away . . . remember the MacBook Air airport security debacle in 2008?