Should your camera phone be required to make a noise when taking a photo?

Should the government require handset vendors to ensure that every time you take a photo with your camera phone there would be a warning noise? It could come to that in the United States, as it has in South Korea.

From picturephoning.com I learned the Korean government has mandated that all new camera phones next year must make "loud sounds" when a photo is taken. The article in The Korea Times reports that the regulation, established by the Ministry of Information and Communication, won't affect existing camera phones in Korea.

The Ministry decided not to ban cellular phones in public places, such as swimming pools and health clubs, because of legal concerns.

Privacy, "digital shoplifting"problems

Men in Korea have been arrested on suspicion of taking "voyeuristic" photos of women on subways and streets, the newspaper reported. Also, the largest bookstore in Korea, Kyobo, is watching customers to ensure they don't take photos of pictures in books and magazines.

I wrote about this trend in Japan, where the term "digital shoplifting" was first coined. (At least, that's where I first read about it.) The Japan Magazine Publishers Association and the Telecommunications Carriers Association have been complaining that snapping photos in magazines without purchasing them is "information theft."

I've said this before, draconian measures dealing with camera phones will get worse before everyone calms down and looks at the reality of the situation.