House introduces camera phone “click” bill

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The media must be making the economy and wars look worse than they are since Congress seems more interested in tweaking technology than solving those problems. First the Senate votes to delay the DTV switch, and now the House is considering a bill that will require all camera phones to produce an audible click whenever a picture is taken. That is the ultimate goal of HR 414, better known as the Camera Phone Predator Alert Act.

The bill states, “Congress finds that children and adolescents have been exploited by photographs taken in dressing rooms and public places with the use of a camera phone.” That is true. And as the father of girls, I appreciate what Rep. Peter King, the sponsor of the bill, is trying to do here.

But there are certainly more important issues to deal with and this law does not solve the problem. Any “click” is going to be difficult to hear in a public place unless it is unnaturally loud. Dressing rooms are quieter, but anyone can place cotton and tape over a speaker to muffle the noise. I appreciate the effort, but Congress should be trying to keep cell phone manufacturers and other businesses afloat by solving our current economic crisis instead of mandating changes that could increase costs.

Read [Network World]