Camera Phones in India - Useful or Privacy Invaders?

chillibreeze writer — Arshiya Yousuf

The advent of the cell phone revolutionized the telecom industry since it made communication easier. Even remote places have become accessible and people here can benefit from it since they are legal and medical information is now more accessible to them. This device has become so cheap and the rates are so competitive that almost everyone can afford it. Since it is compact and portable, it is very easy to carry around and therefore has helped people to stay in touch while on the move. Thus mobile phones are seen to be useful in times of emergency, for business applications and have various useful features that have helped fuel the growth of the economy.

Technology is constantly innovating new concepts and as such cell phones too are no exception. As a result innovative features are constantly being added to increase its value. The inbuilt camera is only one such feature. A camera phone has an infrastructure similar to MMS, which allows the user to instantly share pictures and videos with someone having a similar device to receive it. Now you don't need to carry around a camera everywhere you go.

Any unusual unexpected scenic, or even newsworthy, event can be captured instantly on the camera phone and shared with others. This has led to a boom in citizen journalism since information can be shared from anywhere, anytime, making every citizen a real time news reporter. During the recent Mumbai floods, it was the citizen journalists who provided an insight into the harrowing experience and helped to bring the big picture into our living rooms. Thus, we find that the camera phone is useful for tourists, helps law enforcement agencies in detecting crime and is a useful tool for the media in sting operations. During disasters, if a place becomes inaccessible to the main stream media, connectivity is still retained through citizen journalists who provide information and pictures of the disaster.

Every good thing has its disadvantages as well and camera phones too are not exempt from it. Invasion of privacy, voyeurism, criminal activities like black mail, taking photographs against a person’s wishes or even illegally and circulating it among the public. Infringement of copyrights is only one of a few aspects concerning this misuse. Their use is restricted in high security zones. Many schools in India have banned them due to increasing concerns over their misuse in exams. It is difficult to detect their use and since photos are instantly shared, even detection of such an action is useless. The media also misuses it by invading people’s private lives, especially those of celebrities. Camera phones have opened up questions of the legality of discreet videotaping.

In spite of its numerous benefits, controversy has been created as they enable surreptitious photography. Impressionable youngsters are more likely to fall into these traps. Obscene and vulgar pictures are often captured and circulated widely. Innocent lives are ruined as a result. Guys often abuse the trust of their girlfriends by coaxing them to pose in intimate poses while having their pictures taken, which are then shared with others or made into pornographic movies. The Delhi Public School episode is a case in point. Thus, we see how unscrupulous people can be when it comes to the misuse of this facility. This type of misuse leads to general decline in moral values and culture especially among the youth in our country.

Camera phones have raised questions about the legal aspects of discreet videotaping. The controversial pictures of Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator, being executed was filmed secretly and posted on the Internet for everyone to see. Enforcing bans on camera phones is impractical since the devices are too small and too common and their use is difficult to detect, making it hard for law enforcement agencies to detect.

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—About our writer:

Arshiya,

Passionate about the written word, love to read, specially environment or health related issues. An yoga enthusiast, lover of old Hindi film songs. Love to cook up a storm in the kitchen. A strong believer in ethics and values of life.

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