Law skirts issue of camera phones versus personal privacy

Hong Kong loves mobile phones and the growing media panic about camera phones, surveillance and personal privacy is not stopping people from upgrading their handsets to the latest ones with built-in cameras.

A camera may not seem like a phone feature you just can't live without, but a recent survey of mobile phone users here by a local university found that of all the new features available, the one they covet most is a camera. Many mobile phone users say privacy fears are played up by the media and most people buy a camera phone for the fun of it.

Another survey of 1,300 mobile phone users by research firm Zelos Group showed digital camera features edged out walkie-talkie services and global positioning systems to capture the top spot on most users' wish lists.

Camera phones appeal to the gadget lover in all of us. They are one of those hi-tech conveniences - like instant messaging - that we never thought we needed until we tried them. The recent media battle against camera phones that has locker rooms and even some private clubs across the city banning the devices is focused on porn on camera phones - the next-generation thriller app.

What makes these low-resolution images taken surreptitiously of bottoms, legs and breasts in changing rooms so appealing to audiences is their random nature and the fact that the victims were caught unaware.

A camera phone is not the first device of this kind capable of intruding on one's privacy in such a personal way. Compact digital and video cameras, close-circuit television cameras and webcams can be equally intrusive.