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Picturephoning reports The Consumer Electronics Association has published a set of guidelines meant to defuse growing efforts to restrict the use of cameraphones equipped with digital cameras.

The group issued a "Camera Phone Code of Conduct" with seven rules meant to balance digital imaging ubiquity with privacy and other concerns. More information is on the Association's web site. This one is the most relevant for corporate PR professionals...

"Camera phones should not be used without authorization to record and/or transfer confidential information. This may apply within a corporate, government or educational environment."

Cameraphones make it incredibly easy for sensitive corporate information to leak out on moblogs. It's one thing for an employee to say they saw something, but it's another to capture an image with a cameraphone and immediately post it to the Web. Pictures really do carry a thousand words. Can you imagine if the Enron whistle blowers had cameraphones?

These guidelines are welcome, but they're somewhat meaningless. Eventually there will be a cameraphone court case that involves corporate secrets or espionage and it will set a precedent for the future. Congress may also pass laws to protect corporate secrets.

Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.