

Bill would require camera phones to make a sound - mhb
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/new-bill-asks-f.html

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jws
I hope someone amends the bill to also include:

    
    
      - a mandatory 'flash', do it after the shot if 
        not artistically desired.
      - periodic beeps while shooting video (use specific tones,
        people can then sell software to mask them in the 
        resulting works, mostly.)
      - periodic beeps while video chatting, the guy on the other
        end could be recording.
      - ALL cameras make a sound
      - Include professional gear, especially the undercover
        sort. Lots of people have their privacy invaded by 
        PIs and television news folks.
      - Require a taser sort of effect on the speaker 
        grill while the shutter noise plays to prevent people
        from masking it. (It will probably also need some sharp
        spikes to protrude to keep people from simply putting
        a piece of paper or tape over their finger to avoid the
        shock.)
    

As long as we are at it, expand the bill to make ALL devices be incapable of
illegal use.

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enomar
Great. Those wanting to break the law simply need to break their phone's
speaker while the rest of us have to live with annoying phones that beep
uncontrollably when we want to take pictures.

~~~
iigs
Yeah. Prior to discovering the configuration option buried deep in my phone's
menus I was looking for a place to embed a compact slider switch. I have a
feeling if something like this were to ever pass that we'd see hacked firmware
for common phones ASAP.

~~~
tlrobinson
Which brings up an interesting point: would open source firmware/software on
camera phones be illegal, since you can trivially modify it to disable the
noise?

~~~
cabalamat
I'm sure there are people who would want to ban open source if they understood
the idea. Fortunately, they are mostly too stupid to get it. Just as there are
vested interests who would love to go back in time and kill the Internet (e.g.
the music industry), but fortunately 15 years ago when the Internet was small
enough to kill these vested interests didn't understand its importance.

------
thwarted
By the time you've heard the click, it's too late.

~~~
patio11
It might be too late to stop the pervert from taking the picture, but it is
not too late to summon the authorities and prevent him from fleeing. (This is
the Japanese use case for this law. I have to assume the American one is
similar, right?)

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rscott
It won't go anywhere, don't worry too much.

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mhb
Maybe just make the quality of camera phone pictures so crappy that no one
will want to look at them. Oh wait.

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dimitar
The article says that a mandatory "click" is already in place in Japan and I
am almost certain that its the same in the EU. I cannot turn off the loud
click or turn down its volume on my phone and many of my acquaintances have
also tried with no success.

While not very nice from a philosophical viewpoint it is actually a good
measure. Those phone cameras can get pretty annoying and very disturbing. Now
with the clicking sound I can identify the offender and become aware that I
had my picture taken.

There is a downside, too - when I am in the library or during lectures taking
dozens of pictures of some paperwork can be very unpleasant for others.

I think the privacy of the individual is a lot more valuable than the "freedom
to not make a clicking sound" ;-).

~~~
gravitycop
_I think the privacy of the individual is a lot more valuable_

Individuals have, or _can_ have, privacy in public?

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dimitar
Is there a reason there are "you are monitored by CCTV" signs?

Do people only take pictures in public?

~~~
gravitycop
_Is there a reason there are "you are monitored by CCTV" signs?_

CCTV signage is in place to discourage shoplifting.
[http://www.google.com/search?q=discourage+shoplifting+cctv+s...](http://www.google.com/search?q=discourage+shoplifting+cctv+signs)

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gaius
Good. As a photographer I am in two minds about camera phones. On the one
hand, putting the tools in the hands of the masses is great. On the other
hand, camera phone users are such twats. I do a bit of wedding photography,
you scout out the church, sort out your shots (say the bride entering the
church with her father) then you come to take the shot and some moron is
leaning out into the aisle with his stupid little phone. What, he's not even
composing, the shot is going to be shit, and where's it going, onto Facebook
or into an album that the bride will show her granddaughter one day? Or you're
shooting the formals and in every shot at least one member of the two families
is actually looking at some fool trying a camera phone shot instead of into
the camera.

If every camera phone gave the user a small electric shock with every picture,
or would lock up completely for 30 minutes after every shot, that would go a
long way.

</rant>

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kwamenum86
Overly broad and probably ineffective. Although I can't imagine a time when
this would be harmful any effective click would prove annoying.

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herval
actually some manufacturers (like Siemens - R.I.P.) already comply with that
'rule' for a while, for that exact reason..

~~~
narag
I own a Motorola U9 for a month. I've been unable to find out how to disable
the click. Next thing is flashing it. I can't stand the very loud noise.

