Another holiday season has come and gone. If you listen closely, you will hear the "click" of people taking photos with their new camera phones.

With a press of a button, users can connect to the Internet or e-mail and send their photos anywhere.

Camera phones can be a great way to stay connected, but they also pose threats to privacy in our workplaces, educational institutions and social settings.

They should be used with some tact and discretion.

* A disgruntled employee can harm a business by taking photographs of proprietary information and sharing it.

* Health clubs and gyms are at risk because potentially compromising photos can be taken in locker rooms.

* Students can use camera phones to cheat on exams.

These issues can arise with any camera, but two factors increase the dangers of camera phones. They have increased the number of cameras people routinely carry and, because they don't look like cameras, it is easier to take clandestine photos.

Some fitness clubs have banned camera phones from their facilities to protect members' privacy. Many schools have banned camera phones from the classroom.

Some corporations have created policies to ensure their proprietary information remains confidential.

DaimlerCrysler has prohibited employees and visitors from bringing camera phones into any company building. Samsung Electronics requires employees to stick tape over the handset's camera lens.

In Japan, nearly half of all cellphones are camera phones. Magazine publishers have become concerned about customers taking pictures of particular pages instead of buying the entire magazine.

Because they are so prevalent, banning camera phones in some locations may not be practical. Software has been developed that purports to establish privacy zones that jam the camera applications in a mobile phone.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has published a code of conduct for "camera phone etiquette."

* Camera phones are not for use in any area where camera equipment is banned.

* Camera phones should not be used in any public places that are considered "private" (locker rooms, bathrooms).

* Camera phones should not be used to transfer or record confidential information without express authorization.

* Camera phones should not be used to take photos of people without their consent.

The CEA also encourages the proper use of camera phones by suggesting some "novel uses." They include:

* Take a photo to help remember where you parked.

* If you are involved in a fender-bender, take photos for your insurance company.

* When shopping, use your camera phone to take photos of items you like and share them with your family when you get home.

* When picking up a rental car, take photos of pre-existing scratches.

As more camera phones are sold, another use for the technology has been discovered -- fighting crime.

In New Jersey, a teenager foiled an abduction attempt when he took photos of a man trying to lure him into a car.

In Sweden, a convenience store owner took a photo of a person who robbed his store. The photo was used to identify and arrest the criminal.

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