Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Video, MMS phones causing privacy concerns

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 20:09:44 -0500

Video, MMS phones causing privacy concerns
February 13 16:57:00, 2003

OXFORD, United Kingdom—With analysts forecasting significant growth in the uptake of
camera phones, governments
around the world are becoming increasingly concerned by the capabilities of these devices
to invade people’s privacy
and decency. The pioneering third-generation (3G) operator ‘3’ claims to have recognized
the potential for misuse of its
video phones and has collaborated with the U.K. government to establish a child protection
policy ahead of its full
commercial launch.

An executive of 3 said video streaming services are already reported to have caused
problems with pedophiles in Japan,
and multimedia messaging service (MMS) phones have been banned in some Middle Eastern
countries, along with at
public swimming pools, gyms and schools in Europe. However, the company said that streamed
video calls would be
available at launch, as against streamed video content, which it claimed users had not
wanted when surveyed recently.

Sales of MMS-capable handsets are said to be outpacing personal digital assistant (PDA)
and smart-phone shipments by
a considerable factor. The market research firm Strategy Analytics stated that more than
18 million picture messaging
phones were sold last year, the majority in the Far East, with Europe seeing only 1.3
million and the United States a
minuscule 230,000. However, European operators are thought to be providing subsidies of up
to 500 euro (US$542) per
handset during 2003, which should provoke rapid uptake.

http://www.globalwirelessnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=4315
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