BuzzBite: Cell Phone Snitches

Cell phones are being drafted to fight crime. New York recently announced that its 911 call centers would be able to accept videos and photos from cell phones to help police catch and prosecute criminals.

Cell phones also are being used to prevent crimes. NTT DoCoMo, the Japanese mobile provider, offers a video cell phone aimed at bus and taxi companies that includes a breathalyzer. Employees make a video call to a service center, use the breathalyzer, then wait for the results. (The video ensures that the driver isn't getting someone else to blow into the breathalyzer.) Drivers whose blood alcohol content is greater than the legal limit are forbidden from starting their shifts. --Andrew Conry-Murray, [email protected]