Worried about a new breed of Peeping Toms who can transmit stealth pictures from locker rooms or other private places, more Chicago-area municipal officials are banning or limiting use of camera cell phones.
Also driving a flurry of recent restrictions on the popular phones are fears that they could be used for other mischief, from taking pictures of jurors and witnesses in courtrooms to industrial espionage or stealing school tests.
In November, the Elk Grove Village Park District became the first in the nation to prohibit the use of camera phones because of privacy and security concerns after a man was caught taking pictures of a woman in a dressing room.
Since then, other park districts that have taken the same step or are considering it include Schaumburg, Niles, Grayslake, Morton Grove, Libertyville and Gurnee.
“With this new invention, privacy can be taken away, and the person wouldn’t even know it,” said Lisa Shepherd, superintendent of recreation in Gurnee, where violators face a $1,000 fine.
School districts throughout Illinois also are reviewing their cell-phone policies, officials say.
The District 125 Board of Education is expected to approve a policy next month that adds camera phones to existing cell-phone restrictions at Stevenson High School in north suburban Lincolnshire, officials said. The action was partly motivated by concern that students could use camera phones to zoom in on test papers.
“If you think about it, you can bring a digital camera into schools, but at least people know what you’re doing with it,” said Supt. Tim Kanold. “With a picture phone, it’s a little trickier.”
Officials of Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless provider,believe many of the new restrictions are an overreaction.
“We feel it’s unfortunate that they feel they need to legislate this type of behavior,” said Carolyn Schamberger, a Midwest spokeswoman for the Bedminster, N.J.-based firm. “For the masses who utilize the technology for its true intent–getting in touch with family and business associates–I think it’s unfortunate to have this taken away from them.”
State bill introduced
Earlier this month, state Rep. Kathy Ryg (D-Vernon Hills) introduced a bill that would impose a $500 fine for using phones to take pictures in public bathrooms, showers, locker rooms and lactation rooms.
Nationally, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, California, Ohio and Washington are considering similar approaches.
Ryg said she brought the issue to the Illinois General Assembly in response to requests from north suburban police who suddenly find themselves responding to complaints about camera cell phones.
“Law enforcement officials have some real concerns about these cell phones being used to prey on innocent people, especially children,” she said.
Last month a Lake Villa man allegedly used one of the phones at Gurnee Mills to look under the skirts of two women as they stood on a ladder. The women’s supervisor called police, who arrested the 19-year-old man, authorities said.
“The problem is that this takes the Internet predator problem up another notch, because with these phone cameras you can post a picture on the Internet as fast as you click it,” Mundelein Police Chief Raymond Rose said.
Camera phones have become a popular tool among real-estate agents, construction workers, medical personnel and journalists, experts say. Shoppers use them to compare prices from store to store.
Although they look like regular cell phones, a tiny digital camera in the lid can capture images up to 6 feet away. Zoom lenses, flash settings and self-timers can improve the pictures, which can be sent instantaneously to other camera phones, the Internet or e-mail.
Phones’ popularity spikes
Sales of the camera phones, introduced in the United States in late 2002, topped 5 million in 2003, compared with about 65 million regular cell phones sold, industry officials say. Within three years, about 50 million Americans will own a camera phone, according to industry estimates.
On the federal level, legislation pending before a Senate committee would make it illegal to obtain pictures in an intimate setting without the subject’s knowledge.
Movie theaters soon could be added to the list of places where the devices are restricted. Camera phones are capable of producing 15-second videos, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is lobbying more than a dozen states, including Illinois, to pass anti-piracy laws that would make videotaping movies in theaters a crime.
The issue also has reached courthouses throughout the state. The Illinois Supreme Court amended its no-cameras-in-the-courtroom policy in December to include camera cell phones. Of particular concern, a court spokesman said, is the chance that visitors may photograph jurors and witnesses.
Businesses are cracking down on camera phones in their facilities. Companies such as General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Texas Instruments restrict their use to guard company secrets.
“It’s such a cutting-edge type of thing I would think I’m going to be receiving more requests from my municipal clients to explore where these phones are invading people’s privacy,” said Charles W. Smith of Waukegan, who represents 20 government agencies in the northern suburbs.
