May 2004 Mfg.Trust

Mfg.Trust is a monthly feature of the
            NCMS InfraGard Manufacturing Industry Association
                        Infrastructure assurance for manufacturers
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This month – CAMERAS IN THE WORKPLACE

See the Resources Page for this Story 

Editor's Preface:

It is common for companies to prohibit personal cameras in some or all parts of the workplace. Enforcement was reasonable straightforward – until recently. New technology makes this more challenging than ever. Worse yet, school children are running with technology that their elders don’t quite yet understand. Read on for some examples.

As usual, the Resources page that accompanies this article offers a rich information set for more study. See http://trust.ncms.org (Publications Index tab).

Editor

CAMERAS IN THE WORKPLACE

Embedded cameras define the problem

Modern technology offers devices that perform multiple functions, as in the increasingly popular cell phones that have a camera (even video) function integrated in the device.

These are occasional novelties at the moment, but the market expectation is that most cellular phones (and PDAs) will soon have a camera capability. By 2006, more than 80% of mobile phones shipped in the US and Western Europe will have cameras, according to the market analysts. Companies need to anticipate and adapt inspections and policy to deal with the new devices.

Banning Cameras

Computer chip maker Intel decided that a camera is a camera, no matter what it is attached to. It banned handheld devices with embedded cameras from the same areas that traditional cameras are banned. This new policy only affects a small portion of its employees, and apparently the affected workers are already used to many other restrictions.

Except for the ultra-high-security environment described above, few companies are interested in prohibiting the mobile phones (that may have embedded cameras) that can provide connectivity with children, childcare, and the elderly at home – not to mention their business utility. Further, inspectors find it difficult to reliably determine which phones contain cameras, even when there is no attempt to conceal the camera.

Schools have a different and understandable reason for considering a ban on camera cell phones. Pictures circulate from phone to phone at an amazing pace, creating numerous opportunities for mischief and crime. (See Resources Page for more.)

Usage Guidelines

Faced with the difficulty of identifying and controlling cameras, a number of companies take the approach of banning photography, not cameras. In the abstract this makes a lot of sense. Usage guidelines can be far more effective than outright bans.

This approach – controlling behavior rather than devices – is favored because there may be no need for new policy. Inappropriate behavior – breaches of security or confidentiality, privacy violations, sexual harassment, theft, etc. – can be handled with normal disciplinary responses. The fault is not with the technology – it's with the user.

Further, it's not just cameras that could pose a security risk. Portable devices can copy files, and record voices. Staff can still copy sensitive documents with a photocopier.

This approach might be satisfactory for modest security needs. It sounds good, but it is very difficult to enforce, as compared with banning devices at an entry point.

Conclusion - Gartner Recommendations

Gartner Group recommends that businesses designate secure zones where restrictions on these devices are tight and can be enforced. For other workplace areas, staff should be given guidelines about what is acceptable.

Further, Gartner analysts said there are a flood of high-tech consumer devices, not just camera phones, entering the workplace that could pose a security risk. Any company policy directed at camera phones should be widened to address the transfer of information from enterprise environments to consumer devices in general.

Above all, businesses must foster an internal culture that discourages the abuse of any technologies.

LINKS

Gartner considers camera-phones as security risk
InfoSync World
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/4674.html

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