Businesses responding to privacy threat smartphones pose

In the wake of a dramatic citizen’s arrest, caught by a CTV News crew last week – followed by voyeurism charges – it’s clear privacy concerns are growing, now that smartphones with cameras can be found in the hands of an increasing number of people.

Last Tuesday, a CTV News camera caught the moments after a woman allegedly found a man with a cell phone, who was allegedly taking video of her in the bathroom.

The woman screamed, and chased the man out of the ladies bathroom at the University of Alberta hospital, the man made it just outside the doors before two bystanders wrestled him to the ground and held him there until police arrived.

The next day, police charged 28-year-old Scott Raymond Gagne with voyeurism and failing to comply with a probation order.

For some experts, that single incident is only one of a number of possible similar incidents – made even easier by the explosion of smartphones.

“A picture is worth a thousand words, everyone is walking around with a camera right now,” NAIT Marketing Instructor Ray Bilodeau said.

At electronics stores such as Future Shop, it’s not possible to buy a cell phone without a camera.

“Most people these days, they can’t be without their cell phones,” Jack Stearman with Future Shop said. “That’s why they put such nice cameras in them, because that’s what’s always with you.”

It’s not just the number of such tools either, it’s how easy it can be to use them – to take a picture, and then keep, delete or share it, costs the consumer virtually nothing.

“Cell phone technology just becomes so ubiquitous,” Bilodeau said. “Average guys walking around with it, we’re used to snapping pictures at our discretion, whenever.”

It’s for that reason, that a number of places, such as Edmonton YMCA’s, have a policy forbidding cell phones in change rooms.

“Someone can look like they’re texting or surfing the web,” YMCA Membership Director Asim Chin said. “But they could be taking pictures.”

Chin admitted the policy is difficult to enforce – and Bilodeau agrees, but said such infractions have rarely been easily enforced.

“If the person wants to take their camera out and take a picture, it’s pretty hard to limit that,” Bilodeau said. “But that hasn’t changed, it’s always been that way with the point and shoot camera.

“It’s not really new, its just way easier to do it now.”

With files from Brenna Rose

• 

  YMCA facilities have posted signs reminding members of their policy banning cell phones and cameras from being used inside change rooms.

• 

  These days, it can be difficult for consumers to find a cellphone without a camera built-in.

• 

  Good Samaritans Michael McIntyre and an unidentified man hold voyeurism suspect Scott Gagne, 28, who had allegedly been recording video of a woman in a public washroom at the U of A Hospital Tuesday, Jan. 29.