Picture This: Cell Phones More Intrusive Than Before
Will Picture/ Video Phones Be Banned In Certain Places?
POSTED: 4:43 p.m. CDT July 23, 2003
UPDATED: 6:45 p.m. CDT July 23, 2003
CHICAGO -- 
A cutting-edge gadget is raising questions about privacy. Is it a cool way to communicate or another way for voyeurs to victimize?
On Wednesday, Target 5's Lisa Parker reported on "phone spies."
At the center of the discussion, Parker said, is the recently popular cell phone that also takes video and still pictures. They are among the hottest gadgets out there: picture and video phones that let you shoot images and send them to another phone via the Internet.
"Camera phones are proving hugely popular," according to Travis Larson, of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.
Parker said 50 million picture phones are expected to be sold by the end of this year. Families and friends are trying to stay in touch with them and businesses are hoping to win an edge. But the technology is also raising concerns.
Unwanted "closeness" by strangers using these gadgets has some reconsidering this trendy phone.
Chris Hoofnagle (pictured, right), of Electronic Privacy Information Center, is concerned.
"Surveillance technology allows individueals to take images surreptitiously of other people and then very quickly transmit them," Hoofnale said. "It is becoming increasingly easy for malicious actors to surveill you."
That technology has led many fitness centers overseas to ban picture phones to protect their clients' privacy.
So, how easy is it to "spy" with these phones, Parker asked?
Two willing, but uninformed, participants recently hit the gym with a camera crew. The subjects didn't know what the crew was up to, even when an undercover producer started clicking away.
"It was very easy. It was obvious that I could get as close as I wanted and (people exercising) had very little knowledge that I was doing anything other than checking stuff on my phone," said producer Harrison Carter (pictured, right).
Even though they gave their permission, the participants were stunned that they hadn't noticed the pictures being taken.
"If someone's going to take a picture of me, I want to know," one subject said.
Gym companies declined to go on camera, but several say they are monitoring the technology. Bally Total Fitness, for one, says "no photography, filming or videotaping is permitted (inside) clubs without permission," and that also applies to cell phone cameras.
Larson, who represents the cell phone industry, says common sense restrictions should be enough to protect people's privacy.
"We believe that anywhere a regular camera should be banned, a cell phone camera should be banned," Larson said.
Parker said technology is ahead of law here. There are no federal regulations that address privacy when it comes to picture and videophones.
Some states are starting to look at the issue, questioning how to deter phone pirates without curbing the rights of people who use the gadgets legitimately.
"I think it's outright rude," said one health club client. "It makes everyone a paparazzi."
Want to share a thought on this subject?
A cutting-edge gadget is raising questions about privacy. Is it a cool way to communicate or another way for voyeurs to victimize?
On Wednesday, Target 5's Lisa Parker reported on "phone spies."
At the center of the discussion, Parker said, is the recently popular cell phone that also takes video and still pictures. They are among the hottest gadgets out there: picture and video phones that let you shoot images and send them to another phone via the Internet.
"Camera phones are proving hugely popular," according to Travis Larson, of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.
Parker said 50 million picture phones are expected to be sold by the end of this year. Families and friends are trying to stay in touch with them and businesses are hoping to win an edge. But the technology is also raising concerns.
Unwanted "closeness" by strangers using these gadgets has some reconsidering this trendy phone.
Chris Hoofnagle (pictured, right), of Electronic Privacy Information Center, is concerned.
"Surveillance technology allows individueals to take images surreptitiously of other people and then very quickly transmit them," Hoofnale said. "It is becoming increasingly easy for malicious actors to surveill you."
That technology has led many fitness centers overseas to ban picture phones to protect their clients' privacy.
So, how easy is it to "spy" with these phones, Parker asked?
Two willing, but uninformed, participants recently hit the gym with a camera crew. The subjects didn't know what the crew was up to, even when an undercover producer started clicking away.
"It was very easy. It was obvious that I could get as close as I wanted and (people exercising) had very little knowledge that I was doing anything other than checking stuff on my phone," said producer Harrison Carter (pictured, right).
Even though they gave their permission, the participants were stunned that they hadn't noticed the pictures being taken.
"If someone's going to take a picture of me, I want to know," one subject said.
Gym companies declined to go on camera, but several say they are monitoring the technology. Bally Total Fitness, for one, says "no photography, filming or videotaping is permitted (inside) clubs without permission," and that also applies to cell phone cameras.
Larson, who represents the cell phone industry, says common sense restrictions should be enough to protect people's privacy.
"We believe that anywhere a regular camera should be banned, a cell phone camera should be banned," Larson said.
Parker said technology is ahead of law here. There are no federal regulations that address privacy when it comes to picture and videophones.
Some states are starting to look at the issue, questioning how to deter phone pirates without curbing the rights of people who use the gadgets legitimately.
"I think it's outright rude," said one health club client. "It makes everyone a paparazzi."
Want to share a thought on this subject?
Copyright 2003 by NBC5.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
