South Korean authorities have announced that they are set to crack down on sellers of so-called “selfie-sticks”.
The highest-end gadgets, which have attracted plenty of interest from selfie-obsessed consumers, feature a smartphone slot at one end and use Bluetooth technology to enable users to remotely take pictures of themselves from beyond arm’s length.
However, due to their use of Bluetooth technology, South Korea’s radio management agency classifies selfie-sticks as telecommunication devices, which are required by law to be tested by relevant bodies before becoming commercially available.
According to the organisation, there’s a chance that selfie-sticks which haven’t been properly vetted could interfere with other electronic devices using the same radio frequencies.
Vendors selling their unregistered wares can expect to face a prison sentence or incur fines of up to £17,300.
“It’s not going to affect anything in any meaningful way, but it is nonetheless a telecommunication device subject to regulation, and that means we are obligated to crack down on uncertified ones,” said a Central Radio Management Office official to the AFP.
Although no charges are currently believed to have been pressed since the announcement was made, it immediately looks like quite a lot of people have been obliviously breaking the law.
“We’ve had a lot of calls from vendors who think they might have been unknowingly selling uncertified products,” the official continued.
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Via: AFP
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
