From as early as next month, national servicemen will
be allowed to use camera phones inside military camps.
In a Straits Times exclusive, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has
reportedly decided to relax its ban on such devices after
implementing tighter security measures.
Camps will be divided into green and red zones to represent
“non-sensitive” areas where camera phones are allowed.
Areas marked as a "green zone" will include bunks, gyms and
canteens while restricted zones will be areas containing classified
military training equipment.
The national broadsheet said the army’s senior commanders have
been notified of the plans to relax the ban in an e-mail last
month. An official announcement is expected in the next few
weeks.
Plans to review the camera-phone
ban were first announced in September 2011, because SAF
recognised that there were “potential benefits provided by
smartphones”.
Earlier this year,
local telco M1 started selling a modified iPhone with no camera
to cater to in-camp personnel.
In 2007, SAF banned the use of camera phones within
camps and training areas after photos of training activities
appeared online.
Two years later, military personnel were warned not to form online
military groups on social networking website, Facebook.