The Transportation Security Administration has started performing what it calls "enhanced patdowns" at two of the country's busiest airports, the Boston Herald reports. The newspaper says the "more aggressive palms-first, slide-down body search technique … has renewed the debate over privacy vs. safety."

 

According to the Herald "previously, TSA screeners used patdown motions of their hands to search passengers over their clothes, switching to the backs of their hands over certain 'sensitive' body areas, such as the torso."

 

The TSA says the effort is being tested at the Boston Logan and Las Vegas McCarran airports ahead of a national rollout. Ann Davis, TSA spokeswoman for the Northeast region, says the "enhanced patdowns" are part of the agency's constantly evolving efforts to enhance "our many layers of security."