US considering law to require audible shutter noise for camera phones

Greg Kumparak

Greg Kumparak is the Mobile Editor at Techcrunch. Greg has been writing for the TechCrunch network since May of 2008. Greg was born just outside of San Jose, and now lives in the East Bay of California. → Learn More

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Any frequent user of public transportation has probably seen it: Cute girl gets on the train/subway in a skirt that’s just a little bit too short. Within minutes, some creepy guy starts pretending to “play a game” on his cell phone, oblivious to the fact that his narrow squint and carefully positioned arms flag his voyeuristic image snapping intentions immediately.

A new bill has just been introduced to Congress, purposed with combating these on-the-go invasions of privacy. Called the “Camera Phone Predator Alert Act“, it would require all camera phones to make an audible and unsilenceable shutter noise. Similar laws are already in place in South Korea and Japan, so many manufacturers are already accustomed to such regulations.

[Via Phonescoop]

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