-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
With phone cameras, users become ‘potential paparazzi’
Archive
Comments
Story
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nina Sanchez thought a guy in her
class was cute and wanted her cousin to check him out.
Small problem: Cousin is in New York.
So Sanchez snapped his picture and sent it to her.
And it took only a minute or two.
Sanchez, 20, of Pompano Beach, Fla., snapped the guy with a
picture phone — a cell phone that captures your image, which can
be sent to another picture phone or to a personal computer and
spread by the Internet.
Smile! This latest techno toy might be taking your picture right
now, even if you’re sweating at the gym, screaming at your
kids or sharing an intimate moment with your lover.
These palm-sized phones are so unobtrusive you might not even
know you’re being photographed. As a result, privacy
questions are popping up, especially now, as picture phone prices
drop and their popularity soars.
“Like any technology, it can be used appropriately or
inappropriately,” said David Sobel, general counsel for the
Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C.
“There’s a strong potential for abuse, but we’ll
have to see how people use it before making a blanket judgment on
whether this technology is good or bad.”
That better not take too long. In the quick-changing techno
world, the next new thing is for sale before anyone can say
“Cheese!” Just last week, Sprint Corp. announced it was
adding a TV service for cell phones with real-time programming.
Now that’s entertainment.
As for that picture phone: It’s touted as a potential
workhorse. Imagine real-estate agents zapping photos to busy
clients or city inspectors instantly documenting dreary eyesores.
Picture store clerks snapping a robbery in progress or victims
capturing their assailant – on camera.
But let’s face it. The main reason people are grabbing up
picture phones is pretty much the same reason they picked up a
Polaroid camera nearly a half-century ago: Instant picture, instant
gratification.
“It’s just fun,” says Sanchez, who,
incidentally, asked permission to take the young man’s photo.
“I take pictures of something every day.”
But don’t think these phones are purely kids’ stuff.
Some use them like regular cameras, to capture special people and
special moments.
Proud papa Herbert Roach, 29, of Lauderhill, Fla., snaps
9-month-old daughter Halle daily then sends the pictures to family
and friends.
But he’s creative with the camera, too. Early in the
football season, Roach, a high school coach, photographed players
to pinpoint mistakes.
“A defensive back would say, `I am on my toes,’
“ he says. “And I’d say `No, you’re
not.’ Then I’d take a picture to show him.”
In two important ways, this techie toy differs from many
conventional cameras: It’s far-reaching and discreet. A
picture phone image, available immediately, can be sent anywhere,
anytime via e-mail or to another picture phone user. If
you’re so inclined, you can also print out a clear, clean
image.
“Most of us don’t walk around with a camera, but we
do walk around with a cell phone,” says David Bentkowski, an
Ohio mayor who recently introduced legislation to ban picture
phones in private areas such as bathrooms in Seven Hills, outside
Cleveland.
“Suddenly, everybody is exposed to potential
paparazzi,” he says. “And you don’t even know
they’re taking your picture.”
If you don’t know anyone with a picture phone now, just
wait. For the first time since their commercial introduction four
years ago, sales now outpace digital cameras. Around the world,
people snapped up 25 million in the first half of this year –
compared to 4 million for the same period last year.
Like many digital gadgets, dropping prices helped fuel the
buying spree. The phones once cost about $400. Now with rebates and
other promotions, they’re $100 or so. Some cameras are
integrated into the phone; others are attachable. The more bells
and whistles, of course, the higher the price.
As with regular wireless phones, users pay a monthly fee for
minutes. But they also pay for a visual package. Cost varies
depending on other phone features – Internet access, text
messaging, even video capability, where you can, for instance,
capture your friends dancing, then send them a short video of their
moves.
Taking pictures doesn’t ring up the bill, sending them
does. Some users pay per download, say 40 cents or so per photo.
Another package charges $15 monthly for sending unlimited
pictures.
Some cameras make a clicking sound when you shoot, but in a
noisy, crowded world that subtle sound is no warning shout. Some
are silent, so you only see someone clutching a cell phone, a
common sight. And some have zoom capabilities, so someone can shoot
from several feet away.
As cameras grow more popular here, privacy experts expect to see
more problems.
At 31, Kathleen Hishmeh, a Boynton Beach, Fla., accountant and
picture phone owner, understands privacy concerns. But she
questions trying to regulate them.
“You have cameras so small that people don’t notice
them either,” she says. “Anybody can use those. So how
can you regulate the phones?”
Even Bentkowski came to the same conclusion. The city council
tabled his legislation but as the town’s newly elected mayor,
he’ll see that warning signs are posted in public buildings:
Please, be aware of camera phones.
At least one private company has gone further. All phones
– regular cell and picture phones – are banned
everywhere but the lobby at The Sports Club/LA, an upscale gym with
celebrity clients in New York, Los Angeles and other cities.
But for many young fans, privacy problems can’t trump the
phone’s fun factor. Raised on reality TV, school surveillance
cameras and dorm video cams, the picture phone doesn’t seem
invasive to them.
Liz Doup
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (KRT)