Airport X-Rays Damage Digital Photos and Files

Airport baggage X-rays operate at energies sufficient to image luggage but far below thresholds required to alter electrical charges in transistors and memory cells. Solid-state drives, memory cards, and flash drives store data as electrical charges (1s and 0s) in isolated semiconductor cells, ionizing radiation at airport levels cannot dislodge or reverse these charges. Hard drives with moving magnetic media are also immune; while magnets can theoretically damage them, airport X-rays produce only negligible magnetic fields. The myth likely persists from confusion with older film cameras, where X-rays expose photographic emulsion. Modern cameras and all digital storage are unaffected. Concerns about electronics have led TSA to limit X-ray exposure for certain items, but this is precautionary for component longevity, not data protection.