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(Mis)Uses of Technology

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Nov 11th 2003 9:10am





Korea Requires Camera Phone To Add Shutter Sound

from the click-click dept

They're not the only ones, but the latest to jump on the "shutter noise" solution to the "camera phone problem" is South Korea. Starting next year, they're going to require new camera phones to include a loud clicking sound when someone takes a picture, mimicking an analog camera. The only purpose for such a noise, of course, is to alert people around you that you're taking a picture. In some ways, this seems silly, and down the road people will look back on this and find it an amusing historical example of people over reacting to new technology.

7 Comments | Leave a Comment..


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  1.  

    my sprint fone already...

    identicon
    nft, Nov 11th, 2003 @ 10:55am

    My Sprint VGA 1000 already does this. I can choose between two shutter noises, but not turn it off. I guess it makes sense to somebody, but not me...

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  

    No Subject Given

    identicon
    xdroop, Nov 11th, 2003 @ 1:12pm

    They going to require the inevitable video camera phones to make loud whirrrr-ing noises?

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  

    People want to know

    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Nov 11th, 2003 @ 1:46pm

    The fact is, people want to know if any kind of surveillance is being done on them. With all of the posts on speed cameras nabbing drivers, it should be clear - some people do not like having pictures taken of them. The noise of a shutter allows the subject of the photo to object. This is a mechanism of social feedback. That having been said, I turn off the shutter noise when I am taking photos of the cats, who will scurry away at the beep, but not the flash.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  

    No Subject Given

    identicon
    Beck, Nov 11th, 2003 @ 2:04pm

    Of course, once you hear the shutter sound it's too late.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  

    No Subject Given

    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Nov 11th, 2003 @ 2:12pm

    how will this benefit the subjects of these photos if they are deaf?

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  

    Re: People want to know

    identicon
    data64, Nov 11th, 2003 @ 2:22pm

    The question is "Why does this apply only to Camara phones ?" Digital cameras have been around for ages and what exactly is it that you can do (with regards to picture taking) with a camera phone that you cannot with a digital camera.
    Would this law also apply if I got a camera accessory and a phone addon for my PDA ?

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  

    Mine makes the noise unless the speaker is turned off

    identicon
    PRMan, Apr 14th, 2008 @ 2:54pm

    On a Treo, just use the hardware switch to turn the speaker off.

    On other phones, you might try finding the WAV file that makes the shutter noise and replace it with silence....

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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