Some people think camera cell phones are a voyeur's dream, given their ability to transmit images right to the Internet or other cell phones, and given, also, some reported incidents of nude photos of unsuspecting alleged camera-phone victims turning up in cyberspace. Which is also why the phones - introduced in early 2001 and thought to be one of this holiday season's hottest tickets - are becoming a growing privacy issue for consumers and groups.
Reuters reported Dec. 9 that a number of businesses, like fitness centers around North America, have begun to limit or ban cell phones on their premises, in part because of the camera phone concerns. Consider Sports Club/LA, which limits cell phone use to the lobby alone in their facilities.
Spokeswoman Rebecca Harris told Reuters privacy is a priority for the business. But other businesses approach the question with a little more moderation, such as Calgary's downtown YWCA, which goes by an honor system. "[W]e're not going to ask every single person who walks in the door, 'Do you have a cammera cell phone?' and 'You need to check it,’" YWCA general manager Jan Bloemraad told Reuters.
Aside from voyeurism, however, other fears involving camera cell phones include corporate espionage, Reuters said. And not just in North America, either: Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics in South Korea have barred visitors from carrying camera phones. The next-generation camera cell phones are now hitting the Asian markets and "trickling" to North America, Reuters said, with capability of recording clips up to 30 seconds long.
"In North America, analysts project that camera phone sales will more than double next year, while the overall cell phone market will only see a small increase," the news wire said. Camera phones made up 3.3 percent of the 90 million handsets sold in North America in 2003, according to Boston-based Strategy Analytics.
But South Korea is now drafting a law aimed at regulating the camera phones to protect consumer privacy, Reuters said. And other countries might be tempted to follow, except that with cameras and videos expected to be standard in half the world's cell phones by 2008, any moves to ban the camera phones outright might be "an uphill fight," according to IDC analyst Alex Slawsby.
