Congressman Proposes "Anti-Upskirt" Law
The primary motivation for this bill is to protect children. The bill's finding states, "Congress finds that children and adolescents have been exploited by photographs taken in dressing rooms and public places with the use of a camera phone." As camera phones have become nearly ubiquitous, the ability for people to take photographs surreptitiously has dramatically increased. A would-be, secret photographer could easily make it appear that he is talking on his phone or looking at the phone's screen when in fact he is really using the phone to take pictures. With no audible queue that a picture is being taken, unwilling subjects--as well as bystanders--might be unaware that pictures are being taken.

The bill essentially posits that if camera phones were to make a noise indicating that they are taking a picture, they would be far less effective at shooting these voyeuristic images, as the intended subjects and bystanders would become instantly aware that a picture was just taken. The current version of the bill proposes:
"Beginning 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, any mobile phone containing a digital camera that is manufactured for sale in the United States shall sound a tone or other sound audible within a reasonable radius of the phone whenever a photograph is taken with the camera in such phone. A mobile phone manufactured after such date shall not be equipped with a means of disabling or silencing such tone or sound."
The responsibility of enforcing this law would fall upon the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which implies that the onus of compliance will fall exclusively onto the manufactures. This doesn't necessarily address the issue of aftermarket hacks or users performing their own modifications--possibly making it illegal to manufacturer or sell such a phone, but not to own one. As the bill is only a couple of weeks old, it is highly probable that it will go through many changes before and if it is ever up for a vote.