Proposed bill would require all cameraphones to make themselves heard
By Donald Melanson 
posted January 26th 2009 7:14PM
posted January 26th 2009 7:14PM
There's already similar laws in place in Japan and South Korea, and New York Representative Pete King is hoping that the US will soon have a law requiring that all cameraphones make a noise when they snap a picture as well. To that end, King has re-introduced the so-called "Camera Phone Predator Alert Act," which was actually first introduced in 2007 but went nowhere at the time. The bill, as the name not-so-subtly suggests, aims to prevent folks from taking cameraphone pictures without others people's knowledge by forcing the phones to make a sound that's "audible within a reasonable radius" and not able to be disabled. Somewhat curiously, however, the bill apparently wouldn't apply to digital cameras and, as blogger Thomas Hawk points out, it also doesn't take video into account, or do anything to address the millions of camera-equipped phones currently in use that are able to snap pictures silently. No word on any movement of the bill just yet, but it has picked up one co-sponsor and, on the odd chance it actually becomes law, it'd be enforced by the Consumer Products Safety Commission.
"...sleazy and desperate behaviour and I don't want it in any society I live in."
I agree wholeheartedly. But this is the world we live in. So dress/act accordingly.
DONT. LET. THIS. BILL. PASS.
It would mean an end to my lifestyle, and if gays deserve their own lifestyle, I deserve mine too.
Just another "solution" not aimed at the problem
Ahh yes. Predator huh. Nothing will pass a bill quicker then TERROR! Why didn't they just call it the "Camera Phone Anti-child rape law" It would be passed so fast people's heads would spin. Because you aren't for children being ...well you know....are you??? Are you you sick bastard? I didn't think so...got another vote over here!
What politicians daughter got pics taken of here from a camera phone that this bill was even proposed?
If someone really wants to take discrete pictures they will. So are they gonna make digital cameras do this too?? Maybe they can make it so that if you're taking a video there is a constant beep to let everyone know they are being recorded or maybe a strobe light while we're at it!
Can someone explain to me why is everybody disagreeing with this; this is one law i can agree with.
Do you want people taking hidden pictures of you yes or no? If yes look no further in this post.
Do you want people doing God knows what with your picture? If yes why ?
Do you want people taking pictures of you when you dont know them ? If yes why ?
Do you want people taking pictures of you children without your, or your childs consent or without knowing ? If so why ?
If some takes a picture of me without me knowing and I dont know you; you will be in ICU.
If I do know you all your business will be made public.
If you do not want your picture taken then feel free to shutter your windows and remain within your home. You have no expectation of privacy while outside your own home and in any public area... this is not a right you deserve, have, or should ever have. The public space belongs to the public, and you while within it are have no right to demand anyone not photograph you, or not look at you, just as you have no right to demand they do those things. If you are given the right to demand no picture is taken of you in a public space, then I should have the right to demand you take lots of pictures of me in a public space... I might even need you to spend hours doing that.
BECAUSE, a real predator will find ways AROUND all this useless law and still be able to take hidden pictures of you. YES. Doing God knows what with your picture. YES. Taking pictures of you when you dont know them. YES. Taking pictures of you children without your, or your childs consent or without knowing. YES.
So people are pissed off that this King is wasting time and money on something that will have NO IMPACT to the predator.
Dont you see that? Cant you see that? I know you want your kids protected, so instead of impose something on all of the legitimate and law abiding members of society, they should implement that if your caught molesting children or have kiddie porn you get castrated. You go to jail. You wear a special uniform so all the inmates know what you did. And you stay there. And if you are released, fuck their rights. You live a life of shame, one where your constantly reminded of what you have done, a life where everyone around you is aware of what you have done.
Instead these fucks are out of prison, in our neighborhoods and protected by asshats like King.
100 bucks King is a pedophile.
I'm sure the way phones are going now (turning into mini-computers *like the iphone*) someone will just make an app to make the sound go away. This is just causing inconveniences to good people who haven't done anything wrong.
um, one word "ridiculous"
aint there enough noise already folks
lets keep the noise down and get on with life.
so you heard someone take a shot, what ya gonna do about it?
Hows about requiring silent cameras, like the German law requiring car alarms to switch on/off silently, no beep beep there. I'd go for that.
I think it is absolutely ridiculous!!! The government should not be able to regulate something as idiotic as this. Don't they have better things to be thinking about, namely the economy?
What a waste of life. I hope this guy loses his seat. This is all the more reason for people to vote and stop being whores to political party and idealism. People love to vote on party lines and thats how these idiots keep their jobs. I would urge people to go out a just vote all these guys out and start over.
The word shite does not make you seem more witty/British.
I dread the day you discover politics.
I had bought a N73 from europe last year ..... it did make an annoying sound every time i had to take pictures ..... what i dont get is y these guys are so determined to enforce this law ..... there are already hacks out there which can shut of the sound on all nokia phones ..... and its pretty simple too .... plus there are a lot of programs u can install on the phone called Ccam ...which shuts of the sound but not the flash .... Its funny how far these guys are ready to take things for the illusion of safety !!!!
this is bullshit, just another way of tighten down laws so much to where its miserable to live
Japanese phone carriers are already doing this. and also some of standard cameras. my IXY digital 600 has a fake shutter to make this kind of noise when sound turned off. weird.
Take a $15 webcam, and a $3 microSD, solder it on a $10 PIC kit, place under your shirt or anywhere. who dare use a cellphone to take those spy shots?
but there could be a good side from this also
like you could know when someone is takin a pic of you when you don't want them too
and doing stuff like the other guy
i think they should put this law in effect in canada too as well as the U.S
This is sheer stupidity, aimed only at gaining political clout by making 'waves' in political support communities... it is nothing more than a tool to effect voting... a popularity contest ploy. This does NOTHING to safeguard people from being photographed since noiseless cameras will exist in working condition for the next 30 years at MINIMUM, and that is only a minimum when assuming that distinct digital cameras (not those in phones) are also effected by this legislation. Any predator intending to take pictures without being noticed will still be able to do so after this useless waste of tax money goes into effect; what we will get is more government oversight which costs us more tax money and provides little to no effect in improvement of our safety, quality of life, or standard of living.
Federal pork barrel spending will not end when the war on terror concludes, it will just get diverted elsewhere, like this dead end interference in the free market.
I realize that I'm feeding the trolls, but I couldn't let this post go unmolested. The quality of the phone isn't the reason for this, the fact that a few people take upskirt pics with a camera phone is the problem. Also, your beloved iPhone would be one of the worst phones to have in this situation if you want a silent picture; iTunes is conceivably able to force the update to your phone when you dock it. AFAIK, there are no other phones that you have to synchronize to activate or load media, so no other phones would be vulnerable to this.
I'd just sell it as a digital camera with a phone, instead of a phone with a camera.
So, here's my question...How is this going to stop predators from taking pictures?
It makes a sound, so what...Last I checked it's still legal to take pictures most places. The only thing this does is potentially let the subject of the photo know it has already occurred.
Where exactly does the good representative expect things to proceed from there? Into an open confrontation over the phone? Oh yes, that sounds like a great idea, let's get our camera phone predators into physical altercations, that's far better than letting them capture some photon patterns...
No, from there it goes to someone getting their phone stolen or destroyed, and potentially beaten or even killed. Now your camera phone predator can press charges for robbery, destruction of property, and potentially assault or worse.
Fucking stupid. And that's without taking the Constitution into account, which, heaven forbid, someone up there should ACTUALLY FUCKING DO!
just a comment
snapping sounds ar so annoying hope this doesnt get passed.
The pic in the article I think is trying to suggest that Rep King (R) is himself a pedo.
In the same way Larry Craig tried to pass all those anti gay bills.
If Predator decided to take pictures of unsuspecting people he could just turn on his active camo and no one would know who was taking it.
Just remember kiddos, wear underwear. You dont want to excite him too much and send him into self destruct mode!
Hello nanny state.
I know I'm not the only one irritated to no end by gadgets that make stupid unnecessary noises. Who uses a cellphone camera for "predator" activities anyway? A regular digital camera takes much better pictures and doesn't make noises. I will not buy a phone that can't have the sound effects disabled.