krug3r
12-10-2003, 13:42
Manish Sharma doesn't lug a camera around to take shots on vacation or when he's with his friends. He simply pulls out his camera phone and snaps away.
Cell phones with embedded digital cameras are the latest must-have gadgets for Sharma and his friends at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
But the 20-year-old from Palatine was bothered recently by something he saw at an amusement park: a guy at the bottom of a staircase taking a picture of a girl in a short skirt walking up the steps.
The potential for privacy violations involving camera phones is starting to raise concerns in the Chicago suburbs -- nowhere more so than at health clubs and gyms, with their workout rooms, showers and locker stalls.
The Buehler YMCA in Palatine and the Lake County Family YMCAs in Vernon Hills and Waukegan have already banned cell phones in locker rooms, pools and fitness areas. All cell phones -- both with and without cameras -- are banned, to make the rule easier to enforce.
"We are trying to stay a little ahead," Buehler Y Executive Director John Esposito said. "It's unfortunate you have to have rules for 1 or 2 percent of the population that might be misusing it."
Sixty percent of the Buehler Y's 15,000 members are families, which means thousands of children use the locker rooms, pools and fitness areas each year. Esposito said the Y has a responsibility to the children, but adults can be victims, too.
"You could have a photo of a child or adult on the Internet in minutes," Esposito said.
Bally's Total Fitness of Chicago is considering a national ban of cell phones in its clubs, a spokesman said. Bally's has 19 clubs in the Chicago area, including in Schaumburg, Villa Park, Vernon Hills, Glendale Heights and Naperville. No picture-taking, filming or videotaping is permitted in Bally's buildings without the permission of its management; this rule also applies to cell phone cameras.
The Lattof International YMCA in Des Plaines has a policy banning photography that also applies to camera phones, but it hasn't yet approached a cell phone ban.
Market growing
Nearly 80 million camera phones will be in use around the world by the end of the year, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
Camera phones were introduced into the United States mass market over the last year. They hit markets in Japan and Australia more than a year and a half ago.
So far, the limited use of cell phone cameras in the United States has also limited their misuse.
But in Australia, which is generally quicker than the United States to see new technology go mainstream, the national YMCA banned them this summer. Earlier, a man pleaded guilty to filming young girls in a non-Y pool changing room in Melbourne.
Also, police in England investigated a case where people in a bar were accused of using a video-equipped cell phone to film the rape of a woman in a bathroom.
Bob Nicholson, chief executive officer of the National Council of the YMCAs of Australia, said that after the Y banned them, other health clubs across the continent followed suit.
"Australia generally has a very rapid take-up of new gadgets and technology, and we may have been slightly ahead of the U.S.A. in the use of camera phones," Nicholson said.
Saudi Arabia, apparently deciding that the risk was too great, have banned camera phones from the kingdom outright.
‘Overreaction'
Meanwhile, the cell phone industry is counseling restraint.
Nokia spokesman Keith Nowak said he believes existing rules that limit photography should also apply to camera phones.
But he said targeting cell phones out of a fear that a small percentage of the population might misuse one is probably an overreaction.
Nowak said people might have over-the-top reactions about camera phones right now because the technology is new. Over time, they will grow more comfortable with it, he said.
"I don't think that it is a concern," Nowak said.
James Speta, Northwestern University associate professor of telecommunications law, predicts discussions about camera phones will intensify in the near future within the U.S. health and fitness industry.
"Health clubs will find themselves needing to address the issue," Speta said. He said, though, the issue likely will not become a public policy debate in regulatory agencies because the solution is basic: Limit their use to public areas.
The next generation of camera phones will allow people to combine text, voice and photos, Motorola Director of Marketing Steve Shapiro said.
The International Health, Racquet and SportsClub Association, based in Boston, recommends its members consider a policy restricting the use of cell phones.
"Think about yourself in the locker room," said William C. Howland Jr., the association's director of public relations and research.
Sharma does. As the quality of camera photographs improves, he'll worry more about his own privacy when he works out at the gym or changes in the locker room.
Wheaton Sports Center General Manager Mike Gilligan said few people use cell phones in the facility. Poor reception and the culture of the center have limited cell phone use, he said.
"I wouldn't have even thought of that," Gilligan said.
He added, though, that it's something he'll be thinking about now.
"It's a sad state of society," Gilligan said.
Cell phones with embedded digital cameras are the latest must-have gadgets for Sharma and his friends at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
But the 20-year-old from Palatine was bothered recently by something he saw at an amusement park: a guy at the bottom of a staircase taking a picture of a girl in a short skirt walking up the steps.
The potential for privacy violations involving camera phones is starting to raise concerns in the Chicago suburbs -- nowhere more so than at health clubs and gyms, with their workout rooms, showers and locker stalls.
The Buehler YMCA in Palatine and the Lake County Family YMCAs in Vernon Hills and Waukegan have already banned cell phones in locker rooms, pools and fitness areas. All cell phones -- both with and without cameras -- are banned, to make the rule easier to enforce.
"We are trying to stay a little ahead," Buehler Y Executive Director John Esposito said. "It's unfortunate you have to have rules for 1 or 2 percent of the population that might be misusing it."
Sixty percent of the Buehler Y's 15,000 members are families, which means thousands of children use the locker rooms, pools and fitness areas each year. Esposito said the Y has a responsibility to the children, but adults can be victims, too.
"You could have a photo of a child or adult on the Internet in minutes," Esposito said.
Bally's Total Fitness of Chicago is considering a national ban of cell phones in its clubs, a spokesman said. Bally's has 19 clubs in the Chicago area, including in Schaumburg, Villa Park, Vernon Hills, Glendale Heights and Naperville. No picture-taking, filming or videotaping is permitted in Bally's buildings without the permission of its management; this rule also applies to cell phone cameras.
The Lattof International YMCA in Des Plaines has a policy banning photography that also applies to camera phones, but it hasn't yet approached a cell phone ban.
Market growing
Nearly 80 million camera phones will be in use around the world by the end of the year, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
Camera phones were introduced into the United States mass market over the last year. They hit markets in Japan and Australia more than a year and a half ago.
So far, the limited use of cell phone cameras in the United States has also limited their misuse.
But in Australia, which is generally quicker than the United States to see new technology go mainstream, the national YMCA banned them this summer. Earlier, a man pleaded guilty to filming young girls in a non-Y pool changing room in Melbourne.
Also, police in England investigated a case where people in a bar were accused of using a video-equipped cell phone to film the rape of a woman in a bathroom.
Bob Nicholson, chief executive officer of the National Council of the YMCAs of Australia, said that after the Y banned them, other health clubs across the continent followed suit.
"Australia generally has a very rapid take-up of new gadgets and technology, and we may have been slightly ahead of the U.S.A. in the use of camera phones," Nicholson said.
Saudi Arabia, apparently deciding that the risk was too great, have banned camera phones from the kingdom outright.
‘Overreaction'
Meanwhile, the cell phone industry is counseling restraint.
Nokia spokesman Keith Nowak said he believes existing rules that limit photography should also apply to camera phones.
But he said targeting cell phones out of a fear that a small percentage of the population might misuse one is probably an overreaction.
Nowak said people might have over-the-top reactions about camera phones right now because the technology is new. Over time, they will grow more comfortable with it, he said.
"I don't think that it is a concern," Nowak said.
James Speta, Northwestern University associate professor of telecommunications law, predicts discussions about camera phones will intensify in the near future within the U.S. health and fitness industry.
"Health clubs will find themselves needing to address the issue," Speta said. He said, though, the issue likely will not become a public policy debate in regulatory agencies because the solution is basic: Limit their use to public areas.
The next generation of camera phones will allow people to combine text, voice and photos, Motorola Director of Marketing Steve Shapiro said.
The International Health, Racquet and SportsClub Association, based in Boston, recommends its members consider a policy restricting the use of cell phones.
"Think about yourself in the locker room," said William C. Howland Jr., the association's director of public relations and research.
Sharma does. As the quality of camera photographs improves, he'll worry more about his own privacy when he works out at the gym or changes in the locker room.
Wheaton Sports Center General Manager Mike Gilligan said few people use cell phones in the facility. Poor reception and the culture of the center have limited cell phone use, he said.
"I wouldn't have even thought of that," Gilligan said.
He added, though, that it's something he'll be thinking about now.
"It's a sad state of society," Gilligan said.