By Tony Hallett, 16 December 2003 15:55
NEWS A prominent analyst house has followed up comments made earlier this year against camera phones with a warning that they represent a significant liability or security risk.
The Meta Group has noted that most phones will include camera functionality in two to three years time. Adding the feature only adds around $2-5 per phone, it estimates.
However, Jack Gold, VP with Meta Group's Technology Research Services, said in a statement: "Most organisations that provide phones to their employees and that are evaluating new, feature-rich mobile phones should require the vendor or carrier/supplier to permanently disable the camera or provide a device without a camera."
He goes on to advise organisations try to stop camera-equipped phones entering their premises - "particularly those belonging to non-employees".
How this is policed isn't certain. The analyst suggests "firm policies" and education.
The main threat apparently comes from data leakage and possible capturing of how equipment is used, for example in manufacturing plants.
Already there has been an outcry against camera phones in certain countries for moral or other reasons.
Bookstore owners in Japan have been mulling measures to stop female shoppers from snapping pictures of magazines with their camera phones, a trend they termed "digital shoplifting".
Meanwhile Korean authorities were earlier this year considering a law which makes it mandatory for phone makers to install a "noise emitter" in their camera-equipped handsets.
It is forecast there will be almost a billion camera phones in use within five years.
Comments
There are 7 comments. Join the discussion
1. Yuri
Controversial stuff, digital theft try installing a digital scrambler it prevents them from working it also works on wireless networks so if someone is broadcasting over your head just set-up a scrambler such as leadwall and no phones bytes or bits going to reach a destination .
2. anonymous
I recently visited a 'secure' site where I had to sign in my laptop and the number of CDs I had with me were counted in and out... yes they checked my phone and my PDA, but not the content on the CDs (which were rewriteable) or my data watch which has 32mb.
Sorry to sound geeky, but there will always be ways and means to commit industrial espionage. The key is to restrict phyical access.
3. Sam
What - a 'digital scambler' stops camera phones taking an image and recording it to memory on the phone?
Shyeahhh, right....
You can get devices that screw up the abililty of proximate phones to make a call, but that's going to stop all legit phones in the area working too, and is going to do nowt to stop intruders snapping your secret thing, and carrying the image out in the phone.
4. Jim Whitaker
They are here and people will have to learn to live with it. In most businesses trying to stop people bringing their phones in is just unrealistic. Glad I have not paid for this advice from consultants. Just because some Japanese newsagents are daft does not mean we have to follow them!
5. Cliff Moore
Any chance of banning know it all "analysts" from all workplaces, media and the world in general!
6. Doug
If the female shoppers can get a good enough image, with their phone's camera, to actually be able to read the magazine afterwards then they must work better than mine! Also, the tiny cameras that are now easily available take much better quality shots so why would people bother with their phone. We may be used to people carrying phones but they still tend to look 'strange' when they take pictures with them. I think that some of the covert cameras would not draw any attention to themselves or the picture taker. So ban the phones and then watch out carefully for the hidden cameras.
7. Doug
If the female shoppers can get a good enough image, with their phone's camera, to actually be able to read the magazine afterwards then they must work better than mine! Also, the tiny cameras that are now easily available take much better quality shots so why would people bother with their phone. We may be used to people carrying phones but they still tend to look 'strange' when they take pictures with them. I think that some of the covert cameras would not draw any attention to themselves or the picture taker. So ban the phones and then watch out carefully for the hidden cameras.