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Feds admit storing checkpoint body scan images

For the last few years, federal agencies have defended body scanning by insisting that all images will be discarded as soon as they're viewed. The Transportation Security Administration claimed last summer, for instance, that "scanned images cannot be stored or recorded."

Now it turns out that some police agencies are storing the controversial images after all. The U.S. Marshals Service admitted this week that it had surreptitiously saved tens of thousands of images recorded with a millimeter wave system at the security checkpoint of a single Florida courthouse.

This follows an earlier disclosure (PDF) by the … Read more

Get a wireless all-in-one printer for $69.99

I just can't let a month go by without spotlighting one of my all-time favorite peripherals: a Wi-Fi printer. Even better than that, a Wi-Fi multifunction printer. You haven't lived until you've scanned or printed a document without wires!

Buy.com has the Canon Pixma MX340 wireless all-in-one inkjet for $69.99 shipped. This model is new, not refurbished, and it offers a few perks you don't usually see at this price point.

For starters, it doesn't just print, scan, and copy; it also sends and receives faxes. (Believe it or not, some folks still … Read more

Surfers defense shield

AVG LinkScanner for Mac lets you know in advance if a Web site contains malicious threats. Already an enormously popular developer for the Windows antivirus category, AVG launches this bare-bones Mac version of its Link scanning technology to help prevent Mac users from visiting dangerous Web sites. As the only product AVG makes for Mac, this small program is not meant to sell you anything as there are no paid products from AVG for the Mac platform.

The Mac-like interface of LinkScanner lets you activate two types of protection. The Search Shield uses Web browser plug-ins that check search results … Read more

Free Facebook privacy scanners help you lock down your account

Some people don't mind strangers rummaging through their Facebook friends lists, wall posts, status updates, and other details of their online selves. The rest of us attempt to control who has access to our Facebook information. The recent revamp of the Facebook privacy settings makes it simpler to adjust the many settings that determine whether and how people contact you, and how much of your information they can access.

Two free online scanners put your Facebook privacy settings to the test, though they take very different approaches to how they generate their ratings. ReclaimPrivacy.org gives you a Facebook … Read more

Shopping helper

Of the many bar code scanners available for Android, the simply named Barcode Scanner makes a good starting place, especially for new Android users. With it, you're at liberty to scan QR codes to download Android apps, add a contact to your phone, or jump to a Web link. The scanner also reads retail bar codes, triggering a Google search for whichever product comes up. Though Barcode Scanner isn't as precise as other shopping apps that follow up their scan with a database search on where to find the item, it does its duty as a simple, multipurpose … Read more

Get a Dell all-in-one wireless printer for $39

Big fat disclaimer: This will absolutely sell out, so I apologize in advance if you miss your chance.

Dell has just about the best deal I've ever seen on a multifunction printer with Wi-Fi. But before I give you the details and link, I have two quick instructions: You have to scroll down the Dell's page a bit to find the right model, and you have to click Add to Cart to get the deal price. If you click the printer itself, you'll end up on the product page, where the price is higher.

On to the … Read more

3D imaging could help improve hearing aids

If you're one of the 17 percent of American adults who reportedly suffer from some type of hearing loss, listen up: hearing aids--and earphones--may be about to enter a new generation of superior fit and functionality, thanks to molds based on a 3D imaging technique instead of plaster.

Time was, getting fitted for a hearing aid took an hour in a chair with an audiologist, who would fill a patient's ear canals with a silicone substance that hardened into a mold from which the aid would be constructed. The molds are only so detailed, which means the fits … Read more