Kuwait Bans DSLR Cameras Use For Non-Journalists

[Bob Hubbard]

Kuwait Bans DSLR Cameras Use For Non-Journalists on Tuesday November 23, @02:25PM
Posted by kdawson on Tuesday November 23, @02:25PM
from the don't-give-'em-ideas dept.

DaveNJ1987 writes "Kuwait has banned the use of Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras in public places for anyone who is not a journalist. The ban, which was passed by the unanimous agreement of the country's Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Information and Ministry of Finance, prevents the public from using DSLR devices on the streets of the Middle Eastern State. Tourists are to be affected by the new laws and must be aware of this before travelling to Kuwait. Smaller digital cameras and camera phones are exempt from the ban."

 

[Carol]

Yikes!!

 

[Scott T]

So photoshop journalist creds before you go.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

The part that's scary is the lack of public concern, and the fact that it's such a stupid law, tourists will never think of it and be getting nailed left and right.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

So photoshop journalist creds before you go.

But mine are legit, I'm the lead photographer for MartialTalk Magazine, and a contributor to a few others.

 

[David43515]

The part that's scary is the lack of public concern, and the fact that it's such a stupid law, tourists will never think of it and be getting nailed left and right.

I think you have to take into account what part of the worl you`re talking about. They don`t have a long history of individual freedoms there. In fact I`d say that the majority of counties with a long history of being a monarchy are just used to quietly recieving thier rights and restrictions from the top down. I know Japan has supposedly been a deomocracy since the end of WWII, but people are still expected to sit down and do as they`re told.

As for tourists not knowing the law, that goes for any country you visit*. I`m sure they`ll add it as info when you apply for a visa. I just don`t know how many people will actually read the info they get.


*For example I live in the mountains near a ski resort so we get lots of foreign tourists. Many show up with walkie-talkies so they can stay in touch on the mountains. If it`s a Japanese-made unit, that`s okay. But if you bring a unit from Australia, it broadcasts on frequencies the Japanese use for TV signals.....so they`re forbidden and you can get a BIG fine for using them. Who would thik about that before coming?

 

[granfire]

frankly I have not seen many private parties (other than myself) bothering with SLR cameras anymore. The little ones are often so fantastic, they provide almost all the features you need for a travel camera, plus they are tiny...

So I am more of the wtf prompted this law headscratcher group.
How do they define journalists?
(and why would anybody want to go there anyhow?)

 

[Ken Morgan]

Closing the barn door after the horse has left.

For what purpose anyway? If they had topless beaches Ok, but.....what the hell is there that anyone wants to take a photo of anyway???

Video cameras? Cell phones?

 

[Tez3]

Anyone who ever thought Kuwait was a 'free' country is mistaken, this camera law is the least of the laws that infringe what we call rights. You should see the laws on what women are allowed and not allowed to do.
There is also censorship of the press, internet and other media. The Kuwaitis will clamp down on anything that even smacks of 'freedom', torture was and probably still is common, when the Iraqis invaded they used the torture facilities already there. It is far from being a country you'd actually want to live in, why people lost their lives to 'free' the country I'll never know other than the obvious...that they have oil.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

The little ones are often so fantastic, they provide almost all the features you need for a travel camera, plus they are tiny...

The little ones are crap. They're convenient crap, they're tiny crap, and they're slightly less crapulous than last year's crap, every year their crap improves somewhat, but crap they were and crap they remain.

Otherwise, they're great. As cameras, they make acceptable webpage photos. They're better than not having a camera at all. I carry one, and I've even sold a few photos I took with one. But 'almost all the features'? Sure. A white belt has almost all the features of a black belt. Gi, belt, bare feet...what else you need?

 

[Tez3]

The little ones are crap. They're convenient crap, they're tiny crap, and they're slightly less crapulous than last year's crap, every year their crap improves somewhat, but crap they were and crap they remain.

Otherwise, they're great. As cameras, they make acceptable webpage photos. They're better than not having a camera at all. I carry one, and I've even sold a few photos I took with one. But 'almost all the features'? Sure. A white belt has almost all the features of a black belt. Gi, belt, bare feet...what else you need?

Are you saying you don't like them? It's not really clear from what you're saying.....

 

[Omar B]

Not that I plan on going over there, but I never carry around a DSLR ... because I don't own one. I use the camera in my phone (Motorola Cliqu) and it's 5 megapixels and takes pretty decent pictures. If I need anything higher quality I just borrow my sister's camera.

 

[Tez3]

This law won't be about cameras as such it's about control, I'm betting they don't allow people to read MT either. Websites, magazines, newpapers etc are all censored. When British and American troops were there they weren't allowed to clebrate any Christian or Jewish festivals however Saddam for all his sins did allow other religions to worship as they wished. Of course now he's gone and Iraq is 'free' other religions are not allowed to worship as freely as they wish as they are in danger of being murdered.

Kuwait doesn't like people to have freedom, especially women.
http://www.habibtoumi.com/2010/03/1...nst-those-who-allowed-women-to-play-football/

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Are you saying you don't like them? It's not really clear from what you're saying.....

I like them fine, actually. But that's like saying I like listening to music on the radio, and I like going to live concerts. They're not the same thing at all, except that they both contain musical notes. If a compact camera is equivalent to a digital SLR, then a song on the radio in your car is just the same as having the artist perform in your living room in person.