Saudi Arabia to Overturn Ban on Camera Phones
Abeer Mishkhas, Arab News

JEDDAH, 17 December 2004 — Saudi Arabia will overturn a ban on the import and sale of mobile camera phones in the Kingdom, press reports said yesterday

This looks like a stupid story, the “legalization” of camera-enabled cell phones, but it isn’t. It marks an important shift in Saudi thinking about behavior that could have ramifications far down the road.

For the past two years, the issue of “photo phones” has been a controvery. Saudi society greatly values privacy, particularly that of women. The ability to take photos surreptitiously was creating a problem because it was violating that privacy. Women were being photographed without their permission and the resulting photos were being used in a variety of way, many of which were socially unacceptable. Vulgar and obscene “photoshopped” images posted on the Internet were perhaps the most egregious misuse. But simply having their likenesses floating around beyond their control was very troubling.

What’s important about this ruling–if it in fact comes through–is that it is a distinct break with the theory of social controls and crime that has prevailed in the country. Up to now, the general principal was to prevent sin rather than to punish sin. If something “might” cause a problem, banning it was the automatic solution.

Here, though, misuse of the technology will be punished, not the technology which indeed has benign uses. This is a big step in moving responsibility for behavior to the individual and taking it away from society. It suggests that the idea of individual rights and liberties is making some headway, while the belief that individuals must be protected against themselves is losing ground.