Saudi Arabia searching stores for illegal camera phones

Saudi Arabia, that bans camera phones, is clamping down on merchants that still sell them, according to a report in Middle East Online. Camera phones have been banned for months, but the government hasn't enforced the decision and camera phones are being smuggled into the country from such countries as Bahrain and Dubai, according to the article.

Stores have been selling camera phones at high prices and without a warranty.

The government has begun confiscating camera phones from stores, sending them back to the country of origin (I assume) and also compensating dealers for the phones. Hmmm. If the shops weren't supposed to be selling the phones, why are they being compensated? Perhaps I'm missing something.

Cracking down on users

Middle East Online notes that Saudi newspapers have reported that girls have been expelled from schools because they used camera phones to take photos of their "collegues" (other students?) and sometimes distribute them over the Internet (send them via e-mail or post them on a Web site?).

As I wrote in January 2003, totalitarian regimes hate camera phones. Saudi Arabia says it doesn't want men photographing women in compromising situations. Well, what about the girls in school?

Kids taking pictures of other kids is no threat. The real danger to tyrants is citizens with camera phones documenting government abuses, poor living conditions, police brutality, etc.

Comments

[A. Al-Nemer]

"Kids taking pictures of other kids is no threat. The real danger to tyrants is citizens with camera phones documenting government abuses, poor living conditions, police brutality, etc"

Saudi Arabian society is sick, however, to prove the stupidity of those idiots running the
totalitarian regime, mini-cameras (eg Sony Cybershots) are completely legal (You may get arrested though if you got caught while taking pictures of women - even in background - who wear black from head to toe)

"why are they being compensated? Perhaps I'm missing something."

They aren't being compensated, they are only allowed to re-export them to Bahrain or the UAE

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