Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) (and I understand if I lost you right there, non-New York-area readers) has authored a House bill called the Camera Phone Predator Alert Act that would require camera phones to make an audible sound when taking a picture.
Sec. 2 of 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,” presumably unwittingly.
Wired points out that “the idea is not as astounding as it seems. Japan already requires all camera phones, including the iPhone, to make an audible noise when taking a photograph.”
Not many observers feel the bill, which has no co-sponsors, has a chance in its current form, but anything that purports to “protect the children” is bound to gain some traction in future bills.
This reminds me of the calls for automakers to add noise to electric cars so pedestrians can hear them coming.
Glad our representatives are keeping their eyes on the ball. I mean, there’s nothing else out there they should be worrying about, right?
