"Smart Mobs: Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq"

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Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq

Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq 05/23/2004 09:15 AM

News24.com

Rumsfeld bans phone cameras

London - Cellphones fitted with digital cameras have been banned in US army installations in Iraq on orders from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, The Business newspaper reported on Sunday.

Quoting a Pentagon source, the paper said the US defence department believes that some of the damning photos of US soldiers abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were taken with camera phones.

"Digital cameras, camcorders and cellphones with cameras have been prohibited in military compounds in Iraq," it said, adding that a "total ban throughout the US military" is in the works.

via Smartmobs

The increasing reliance of this administration on secrecy is really disturbing. When your government starts to strip the people of their privacy and civil rights and consistently marches forward with a variety of efforts to hides its own movements, you know you're in real trouble.

I've worked on whistleblower protection bills and thought a lot about the importance of the ability for people to come forward outside of the chain of command. It is an essential protection measure against coverups and corruption. I can understand arguments about why allowing random photos could be bad, but I'm sure the importance of having "eyes on the ground" outside of the "main channel" out-weigh the risks.

Rumsfeld Bans Camera Phones In Iraq...
Or Not

Rumsfeld Bans Camera Phones In Iraq...
Or Not 05/24/2004 06:02 AM
Just as a number of news stories have come out over the past few weeks talking about how technologies like camera phones have changed the way war is perceived in ways that those running the war in Iraq simply didn't expect, comes the completely unsurprising news that Donald Rumsfeld has responded to the various photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse by banning camera phones at military bases in Iraq. Now, no matter what your politics are, or however you feel about the situation in Iraq, (and as unsurprising as this is) this seems like a particularly pointless move. First of all, I'm sure taking camera phone photos within a military prison environment was already very much against the rules before this happened. However, it still happened. All this does is ban a technology, not an action. Second, and more importantly, this doesn't seem like what you do when you're trying to put a stop to whatever caused the prisoner abuse to happen in the first place - it's an action to prevent more such "bad publicity" from getting out there. It's the typical reaction to technology when it's used against you: ban the technology that unveiled something embarrassing, rather than trying to stop whatever was the real cause of the embarrassment. That, alone, is an embarrassment. For someone so focused on using technology for military purposes, to then go and assume that technology is only okay when he controls it shows a particular lack of understanding about how technology works. Technology empowers everyone - and those who assume it only empowers their side show a particular lack of foresight. Update: Engadget points us to a story from a few weeks ago at TheDailyFarce, which looks somewhat similar - raising the question as to whether or not this is yet another case where media sources were taken in by farcical online stories.

Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq:
report (AFP)

Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq:
report (AFP) 05/23/2004 06:22 AM
AFP - Cellphones fitted with digital cameras have been banned in US army installations in Iraq on orders from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a business newspaper reported.

Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq -
report - After Saddam - www.smh.com.au

Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq -
report - After Saddam - www.smh.com.au 05/24/2004 02:50 AM
Donald Rumsfeld has banned cameraphones .. Rumsfeld bans cameraphones in Iraq

smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/23/1085250873479.html
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Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq;
digicams and truth in wartime

Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq;
digicams and truth in wartime 05/24/2004 12:04 AM
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has reportedly ordered a ban on camera phones and other mobile imaging devices in US army installations in Iraq. The story broke in Britain's "The Business" newspaper, and has since been cited in numerous online news reports, including UPI and AFP.

Quoting a Pentagon source, the paper said the US Defence Department believes that some of the damning photos of US soldiers abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were taken with camera phones. "Digital cameras, camcorders and cellphones with cameras have been prohibited in military compounds in Iraq," it said, adding that a "total ban throughout the US military" is in the works.

And while we're at it:

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld sounded like he was blaming technology for letting the Abu Ghraib scandal spin out of Pentagon control when he testified recently before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We are constantly finding that we have procedures and habits that have evolved over the years from the last century that don't really fit the 21st century. They don't fit the Information Age. They don't fit a time when people are running around with digital cameras. "

See also this Chicago Tribune editorial by Clarence Page, "Weapons of Mass Photography."

If I had my way, every enlisted man and woman in the military would be issued a digital camera. As we've seen in the scandal about abused Iraqi prisoners, the little gadgets help boost morale by providing snapshots that can be e-mailed back home. They also can come in handy when you need to gather evidence. I like those little cameras because certain power elites don't.

Li nk to cameraphone ban report, Link to full Rumsfeld "running around with digital cameras" quote. (thanks also to Joi's blog and Smartmobs )

"Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq:
report. 23/05/2004. ABC News..."

"Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq:
report. 23/05/2004. ABC News..." 05/25/2004 04:22 PM

Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq:
report. 23/05/2004. ABC News Online

Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq:
report. 23/05/2004. ABC News Online 05/24/2004 03:55 PM
Rumsfeld reportedly banning soldiers' camera phones in Iraq, worldwide .. ever present little techno devices .. ban all cameras .. Read article

abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1114150.htm
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Rumsfeld bans camera phones

Rumsfeld bans camera phones 05/26/2004 07:38 PM
Via unmediated: ?MOBILE phones fitted with digital cameras have been banned in US army installations in Iraq on orders from Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, The Business newspaper reported today.?

NEWS.com.au | Rumsfeld bans camera
phones (May 23, 2004)

NEWS.com.au | Rumsfeld bans camera
phones (May 23, 2004) 05/24/2004 01:36 AM
Rumsfeld bans camera phones .. Ban on Camera Phones in Iraq .. all digital cameras .. said a source

news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9643950%255E401,00.html< br />track this site | 4 links

Did Rumsfeld ban Iraq camera phones?

Did Rumsfeld ban Iraq camera phones? 05/25/2004 10:00 AM
And is it even possible?

"Did Rumsfeld ban Iraq camera phones?"

"Did Rumsfeld ban Iraq camera phones?" 05/26/2004 07:51 PM

Did Rumsfeld ban Iraq camera phones? |
The Register

Did Rumsfeld ban Iraq camera phones? |
The Register 05/26/2004 01:23 AM
Did Rumsfeld ban Iraq camera phones ? .. questioning report .. The Register

theregister.co.uk/2004/05/25/iraq-camera_phone_ban
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Smart Mobs -

Smart Mobs - 03/13/2003 10:21 AM
Third, civility, reason, and evidence are what distinguish the public sphere — the free and open discourse among citizens that provides the foundation for democracy — from the emotion-charged, ignorant, slogan-slinging online combat that sometimes drowns

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Smart Mobs: City of Memory

Smart Mobs: City of Memory 08/05/2004 04:23 PM
Via Smart Mobs: "Jake Barton's City of Memory uses a map structure to locate stories about life in New York City."

Smart Mobs: To the class of 2004

Smart Mobs: To the class of 2004 06/14/2004 06:51 AM
this commencement speech .. a speech to graduates

smartmobs.com/archives/003327.html
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How Dumb Mobs Beat Smart CEOs

How Dumb Mobs Beat Smart CEOs 06/02/2004 02:41 AM
Both the wisdom and stupidity of crowds is a fascinating subject. I once took an entire course that focused on the problems of "groupthink," which is more commonly referred to as the "echo chamber" these days. However, at the same time, disparate groups of people, all making decisions (say, in a market) can lead to some very intelligent solutions. Salon is now reviewing a book called < i>The Wisdom of Crowds, which is obviously a play on the old favorite, < i>Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds. However, I think that the title to Salon's article gets it wrong. They call it: Sm art Mobs Beat Dumb CEOs, when what the book is really talking about is that Dumb Mobs Beat Smart CEOs. That's the real point to drive home. The power of well organized markets that present information (where the errors cancel out and the real info remains) is a testament to the power of "dumb" crowds. They're not being intelligent - but it's the collective actions that reveal the pieces of intelligence. That network of supposedly "dumb" devices at the ends, is likely to beat out the centralized "smart" CEO in the middle. In fact, the book supposedly discusses companies that are experimenting with such distributed decision making processes, where the decisions of many can better forecast where the company is going than the top-down view of the CEO. Of course, if this book catches on, expect a number of companies to try to implement such bottom-up decision making in a way that misses the point and does more damage than harm (followed by the inevitable anecdotal evidence of why such things will never work) such as making everyone "vote" on certain pointless decisions that will just waste time.

Smart mobs beat dumb CEOs

Smart mobs beat dumb CEOs 06/02/2004 07:19 AM
James Surowiecki's new book, "The Wisdom of Crowds," argues that diverse groups predict the future better than solo prima donnas.

Camera phones in Iraq; digicams and
truth in wartime

Camera phones in Iraq; digicams and
truth in wartime 05/24/2004 12:49 PM
SEE UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF POST

London's "The Business" newspaper (aka the Sunday Business) reported this weekend that US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered a ban on camera phones and other mobile imaging devices in US army installations in Iraq. The story was subsequently cited in numerous online news reports, including UPI and AFP, and blogged abundantly.

Quoting a Pentagon source, the paper said the US Defence Department believes that some of the damning photos of US soldiers abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were taken with camera phones. "Digital cameras, camcorders and cellphones with cameras have been prohibited in military compounds in Iraq," it said, adding that a "total ban throughout the US military" is in the works.

This morning, I asked a Defense Department spokesperson whether or not the reports of a phonecam ban were true. This spokesperson said that these reports were technically inaccurate -- that the Pentagon is not issuing a new ban on camera phones per se, but that a Directive 8100.2 was issued on April 14 establishing new restrictions on wireless telecommunications equipment in general. The text of this directive is available online here in PDF format: Link. The intent of this April 14 directive, and how commanders in the field will be expected to enforce it, are matters I'll be reporting on in more detail for the NPR program "Day to Day," later this week.

Li nk to cameraphone ban report, Link to full Rumsfeld "running around with digital cameras" quote. See also this Chicago Tribune editorial by Clarence Page, "Weapons of Mass Photography." (thanks also to Joi's blog and Smartmobs )

Boing Boing: Camera phones in Iraq;
digicams and truth in wartime

Boing Boing: Camera phones in Iraq;
digicams and truth in wartime 05/26/2004 04:36 AM
boingboingis talking about .. Xeni @ Boing Boing .. BoingBoing

boingboing.net/2004/05/23/camera_phones_in_ira.html
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Report: Rumsfeld bans cameraphones -
(United Press International)

Report: Rumsfeld bans cameraphones -
(United Press International) 05/26/2004 04:36 AM
Pentagon has banned all cameras .. The Washington Times .. proibir

washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040523-050824-2805r.htmtrack this site | 4 links

Camera Phone Bans Seen as Aiding Privacy

Camera Phone Bans Seen as Aiding Privacy 12/09/2003 10:55 PM

Multimedia Solutions in Camera Phones &
3G Phones

Multimedia Solutions in Camera Phones &
3G Phones 08/03/2004 05:48 AM
3G Aug 3 2004 8:55AM GMT

N. Korea bans mobile phones

N. Korea bans mobile phones 06/04/2004 04:20 AM
No 3G for you lot, then

Smart phones: Gen next of mobile phones

Smart phones: Gen next of mobile phones 08/11/2004 02:57 AM
indiaexpress.com Aug 11 2004 6:56AM GMT

U.K. Bans Handheld Cell Phones for
Drivers

U.K. Bans Handheld Cell Phones for
Drivers 12/02/2003 03:02 AM
San Jose Mercury News Dec 2 2003 2:45AM ET

LG Mobile Phones and Verizon Wireless
Introduce the Next Advancement in
Wireless Phones - the VX7000 Camera Ph

LG Mobile Phones and Verizon Wireless
Introduce the Next Advancement in
Wireless Phones - the VX7000 Camera Ph 07/01/2004 10:28 AM
Linux Electrons Jul 1 2004 1:45PM GMT

N. Korea Bans Mobile Phones for Citizens
(Reuters)

N. Korea Bans Mobile Phones for Citizens
(Reuters) 06/04/2004 10:45 AM
Reuters - North Korea has banned citizens from using mobile phones since late May, an official of the communist state said Thursday, about a year and a half after it introduced the service to the nation.

A Camera to Outsmart Your Smart-Aleck
Kid

A Camera to Outsmart Your Smart-Aleck
Kid 12/29/2003 06:39 PM
Fortune Dec 29 2003 6:18PM ET

Ever The Opposite Of The South, North
Korea Bans Mobile Phones

Ever The Opposite Of The South, North
Korea Bans Mobile Phones 06/03/2004 11:42 PM
Lots of folks know that South Korea was one of the first out the door with 3G wireless solutions, and has continued to be a leader in the space. Their Northern neighbors are doing their best to be the complete opposite, however. The Associated Press has a story today about Nor th Korea banning mobile phones, but the background to the story is a bit more interesting. I've written up a longer article over at TheFeature that takes a quick look at the small rise and quick fall of mobile phones in North Korea. Before this latest ban, the technology had really started to take off, despite the repressive regime, as business men and government officials alike found the ability to communicate better quite useful. It just goes to show that no matter how useful new technologies may be in building up vital government and economic infrastructures, repressive dictators can bring it all to a stop very quickly.

British judge bans paedophile from using
Internet, mobile phones

British judge bans paedophile from using
Internet, mobile phones 01/16/2004 11:02 AM
Xinhuanet Jan 16 2004 6:26AM GMT

Judge Bans 'Predator Paedophile' from
Internet and Mobile Phones

Judge Bans 'Predator Paedophile' from
Internet and Mobile Phones 01/16/2004 11:02 AM
PA News via Scotsman Online Jan 15 2004 8:29PM GMT

BenQ unveils WLAN smart phone with
camera

BenQ unveils WLAN smart phone with
camera 01/05/2005 04:38 PM
LAS VEGAS - Consumer electronics maker BenQ is showing off a new mobile phone with 802.11b wireless networking capabilities and an integrated 1.3-megapixel digital camera with zoom and flash.

BenQ Unveils WLAN Smart Phone With
Camera (PC World)

BenQ Unveils WLAN Smart Phone With
Camera (PC World) 01/05/2005 06:50 PM
PC World - Mobile phone has 802.11b wireless networking capabilities and an integrated 1.3-megapixel digital camera.

Smart Phones In The Air

Smart Phones In The Air 04/13/2004 05:11 PM
It used to be a fairly simple rule: your mobile phones must be turned off while flying. But, these days, mobile phones are more than just mobile phones. If I can use a Palm device on an airplane, shouldn't I be able to use my Treo phone with the phone part turned off? The problem, though is that this is causing all sorts of trouble for airline staff who have no easy way to know whether the mobile phone part has been turned off. Some device makers are even including a "flight mode" option that turns off the wireless connection and clearly states FLIGHT MODE on the display for any concerned flight attendant. However, to deal with all of this, companies are starting to push new technology that would make it possible to let people use mobile phones while in-flight. While there are a number of different reasons often cited for not allowing mobile phone use - the biggest issue is that the signal hits many different towers at once, causing problems for the network. One solution appears to basically put a mobile cellular tower within the plane, so that calls route through that base station, and can be more carefully routed to the ground. Of course, this leads to the inevitable question about just how annoying it will be when everyone on the plane is talking during the flight, but that's a different problem for a different post. In the meantime, though, combined with the new Connexion system from Boeing providing wireless internet access in the air, and people may never need to set foot on the ground again.

Wi-Fi Card for Smart Phones

Wi-Fi Card for Smart Phones 12/05/2003 01:54 PM
SyChip is coming out with software that will support its WLAN card in smart phones: The capability will let smart phone users access data services over the WLAN and make voice calls using voice over the WLAN. Initially, customers will have to download drivers to the smart phones but analysts say that eventually the capability should be built into the phone. Analysts are also concerned about the battery life on smart phones that are using WLANs....

Will phones get smart before pigs can
fly?

Will phones get smart before pigs can
fly? 07/01/2004 06:55 AM
Well before that, according to Microsoft's Ya-Qin Zhang, whose task it is to put real intelligence into smart phones.

Future Of Smart Phones

Future Of Smart Phones 07/06/2004 01:56 AM
Could the future of seamless wireless roaming be with Smart Phone technology? Ya-Qin Zhang, formerly of Microsoft Research in China, seems to believe so. According to Zhang, the devices will likely be a combination of Pocket PC and Smartphone technology, allowing users to do what they need to without the constraints placed the users of today. Zhang’s timeline for these events are within the foreseeable future.

MS smart phones gain in-car nav kit

MS smart phones gain in-car nav kit 09/08/2004 05:07 AM
Symbian edition on cards

Camera phones grow up (a bit)

Camera phones grow up (a bit) 06/29/2004 09:49 PM
ZDNet Jun 30 2004 0:56AM GMT
Grok Description matches for "Smart Mobs: Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq"
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"Smart Mobs: Rumsfeld bans camera phones in Iraq"