(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY EVAN BUSH

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

The Internet is abuzz with a rumor -- that airport security measures ruin Amazon’s Kindle e-reader. WPIX has the details.

“...there's word airport security measures may be scrambling these gadgets. Travelers are venting on the Internet with stories of how their Kindle displays got ruined after passing through the x-ray machine. The users believe the unique e-ink black on white screens of the Kindle are getting burned by the exposure.”

But KPIX reports the cause of the issue is not known. An Amazon spokesman told The Telegraph exposure shouldn’t cause problems. Still -- media are reporting a number of consumers have shared the same problem. KPIX shares the prevailing theory...

“There are a number of travelers who experienced the problem and they say that scanners freeze the display on the devices. It's possible that the screens are being harmed by a build-up of static electricity inside the scanners, but no one actually knows for sure. Kindle users who have the problem have gotten free replacements from Amazon.”

But The Telegraph spoke to a professor at the University of Cambridge Centre of Advanced Photonics who says there could be some truth to the static electricity idea.

“I don’t think the radiation used in an airport scanner would ever be strong enough to damage an electronic ink display … But you can get a build up of static inside these machines, caused by the rubber belt rubbing. If that charge were to pass through a Kindle, it’s conceivable that it could damage the screen.”

Although that might be the case, Consumer Reports writes the problem seems to be a Kindle-only issue.

“Interestingly, there have been no reports of similar traveling problems with other e-readers, such as the Barnes & Noble Nook, which use the same e-ink technology.”

So should you play Russian Roulette when traveling with your new Kindle this holiday season? Or isn’t there something you can do? Geek has some advice.

“If you want to avoid the chance of a broken e-reader, then the best thing to do is make sure your device is inside something that would block the static charge, even something as simple as a plastic bag would help. … A decent case is a good idea too, as it will protect your screen from scratches or drops.”