Monday, September 13, 2004
Bluetooth: Disables Embedded Cameras (With Suitable Software Installed)
Posted by Jonathon Watkins in "NEWS" @ 11:00 AM
"Voyeurism, invasion of privacy and confidential information leaks - these are just some problems that have arisen from the use of camera-phones. But now, with the help of bluetooth technology and three savvy Temasek Polytechnic students, these problems may just be solved. Mr Soon Wei Kang, 23, one of the designers of software that can disable the camera function of such phones, explained: "An application is loaded into the cellphone and if the owner enters within the range of the bluetooth device, we can control its camera function." Theoretically, the range of control is up to 100 metres, depending on the power of the bluetooth device. "We can choose to restrict the activation of the camera or leave it alone within the range," he added. Other functions of the phone would work normally."
Now that is a nice idea with a lot of potential. It would get around the problem whereby many employers and leisure centres are banning cameras, but where more and more high-end PDAs and Phones come with embedded cameras. If every BT camera enabled device came with this software embedded, then your employer etc. could disable the onboard cameras according to the sensitivity of the area you are in. So far the software has been successfully tested with Nokia 6600 and 7210 phones, with a Nokia 7650 model not proving as co-operative. The original AsiaOne article is currently unavailable, so the Google cached version is here">www.asiaone.com.sg/streats]here.
One major problem is that I can't see every manufacture agreeing on a standard set of protocols etc. to enable this functionality in all phones. Also, this is just for Bluetooth enabled devices and what if your employer or leisure centre doe not want the expense of installing the BT controller? At the moment it is also possible to remove the controlling software that enables the camera control, so it's not foolproof. I still think the solution to this problem is to leave cameras off phones and PDAs altogether, or to offer to offer an additional, more expensive version with the extra phone functionality. But that's me. :wink: What about you?
Now that is a nice idea with a lot of potential. It would get around the problem whereby many employers and leisure centres are banning cameras, but where more and more high-end PDAs and Phones come with embedded cameras. If every BT camera enabled device came with this software embedded, then your employer etc. could disable the onboard cameras according to the sensitivity of the area you are in. So far the software has been successfully tested with Nokia 6600 and 7210 phones, with a Nokia 7650 model not proving as co-operative. The original AsiaOne article is currently unavailable, so the Google cached version is here">www.asiaone.com.sg/streats]here.
One major problem is that I can't see every manufacture agreeing on a standard set of protocols etc. to enable this functionality in all phones. Also, this is just for Bluetooth enabled devices and what if your employer or leisure centre doe not want the expense of installing the BT controller? At the moment it is also possible to remove the controlling software that enables the camera control, so it's not foolproof. I still think the solution to this problem is to leave cameras off phones and PDAs altogether, or to offer to offer an additional, more expensive version with the extra phone functionality. But that's me. :wink: What about you?
