Apple recently applied for a patent on technology that would disable the iPhone’s video camera to prevent it from being used to record live events such as concerts.
http://ipwatchdog.com/2011/06/17/apple-patent-app-seeks-to-disable-iphone-video-recorder/id=17731/
The focus in the news has been on issues concerning the rights of intellectual property creators/owners vs. the rights of phone owners to use the technology they purchase. Something I’ve not seen mentioned much is the impact that such technology could have in regard to security.
We know that cell phones with cameras are becoming ubiquitous and provide a way for people to circumvent some of our IT security measures. For example, you can use Microsoft’s rights management services to prevent users from forwarding, copying or printing a document or email message. They are also unable to use the PRT SCN function to take a screenshot – but they can get around all this by simply using a cell phone to take a picture.
Could technology be developed to disable phones’ cameras (still as well as video) in areas or at times when photo taking poses a security threat? It’s something to think about.