iResQ will remove your iPhone's camera

actually, it could happen in the right circumstances.

there's an apple certified reseller who neuters the wifi and isight
cameras in apple laptops for use by the national labs and no such agency (s). they provide a certificate and anti-tamper labels w/ serial numbers.

and interestingly enough, the navy allows the use of WIFI networks aboard
ships.

The camera is the thing the will keep me from owning an iPhone. Working at a National Laboratory, security disallows me from bringing any camera on-site. It's been difficult enough just finding a standard cell phone without a camera. Hard to justify purchasing an iPhone when I'd have to leave at home 5 days-a-week. :-(

Phil

There are different levels of security. I did some consulting work at an aerospace firm once upon a time, and I had to leave my camera-phone at the front desk. Phones without cameras were fine.

I'm pretty sure if I'd explained to the guy at the front desk that the camera had been disabled (and showed where the lens used to be), I'd have been able to take it in.

Benjamin @ 13. Exactly. If you have appropriate mil clearance and an OK electronic environment, such devices will not keep you out. They might be thinking about commercial environments, in-house theaters at Lucasfilms, Pixar, etc showing a pre-released movies to critics.

If you have to visit a federal courthouse that often, why spend $100, just get a free second phone without a cam.

And with the iphone being the most talked about phone of all time, everyone knows it's got a camera. Ya think they'll believe you when you say it's been removed? ;)

Also, +1 to Quix.

As a member of the military in possesion of secret clearance, I can tell you right now that 'neutering' your iphone will not allow you to take it anywhere it would otherwise be banned from.
The phone itself is a security liability, simply because it is a communication device. On top of that, electronic snooping devices can easily be hidden within other more ubiquitous devices.
And on top of all that, the reason that we are often not allowed to carry cellphones/pagers is because they are not certified for hazardous environments (anywhere near aircraft, machinery) and can become a FOD (foreign objects/debris) hazard.

-b

...I mean, "neutered the camera".


Not to mention that even if you DO manage to convince security and let your iPhone in, people will give you such horrified looks everytime you pull it out "OMG, he sneaked in an iPhone, this is forbidden!" that it won't be worth the trouble...bottom line is, if you work in such place and MUST have an iPhone for the times you're not there, just get 2 phones...

In such top-security places where cameraphones are not allowed, I am not sure whether simply saying "yeah, it's an iPhone, but I neutered the phone, see" would work, either. Probably the big security guy will tell you "sorry, no cameraphones, leave it here" just as usual.

right - because someone who has security rules will trust you when you say you paid to have the camera disabled.
that's not how these things work. devices which are not acceptable are listed as such and your arguing that yours is a 'special case' will cut exactly no ice at all.

Well, I don't think that me and Quix would agree on politics, but as far as posting random political comments on a Tech blog site.... I gotta agree. Anyway, do they offer to replace the camera with anything? More memory, n-draft wifi...If not, I'd go with the sharpie route. I mean, who wants to send off their iPhone less than a week after they got it?