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.