John from Crossroads Arabia alerteted me to this. Thanks John!
Saudi Arabia to Overturn Ban on Camera Phones
Saudi Arabia will overturn a ban on the import and sale of mobile camera phones in the Kingdom, press reports said yesterday.
Although widely used across the country, camera phones are illegal in the Kingdom. In many cases the phones have been used to invade privacy, particularly of women, prompting fights at markets, wedding halls, schools and other public places as well as triggering family disputes.
Local papers quoted unnamed sources as saying the authorities had asked the Ministry of Interior to put in place regulations to prevent the negative use of the camera equipment in the phone.
Body search is a common practice in universities for all female students to ensure they don’t carry camera phones. Girls, however, find ways to hide the devices and bring them to lecture rooms. In wedding halls, some operators have resorted to hiring special search squads to check every invitee to ensure they leave their camera phones out of the hall.
Source: [Arab News ]
