Submitted by Mike Grenville on Mon, 24 May 2004 19:39

In response to the scandal over prisoner abuses in Iraq that were only picked up by the press when photos were published, all kinds of digital cameras are to be banned in military compounds in Iraq.

The ban has comes on orders from Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, The Business newspaper reported on Sunday.

"Digital cameras, camcorders and cellphones with cameras have been prohibited in military compounds in Iraq," said a Pentagon source, adding that a "total ban throughout the US military" is in the works.

Rather than root out behaviour that many believe is not the actions of a few rogue soldiers but is widely practiced in the US army, it seems Rumsfeld has decided to brazen the scandal out and shoot the messenger to prevent any future embarrassing picture leaks.

A satirical article in The Daily Farce wonders whether a total ban in Iraq will follow so that videos of wedding parties for example will not contradict US military versions of incidents.

Rumsfeld Prohibits Use Of Camcorders During Wedding Ceremonies

However Guy Keweney questions the truth of the story saying that in fact the above article in The Farce may actually be the source! Can business ban the mobile camera phone if the Army can't..?

However a Pentagon Directive on 14th April Use of Commercial Wireless Devices, Services, and Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) suggests that procedures to tighten up use of these devices were already being set in motion.