Attention celebrities: Israeli start-up company can save you from paparazzi

Attention celebrities - this technological development is designed for you. The Israeli start-up company PhotoFree is developing a product that will block or ruin photographs taken by any digital camera within the radius of the system. This means that celebrities hounded by paparazzi photographers can now prevent them from actually snapping their pictures.

The Israeli company is currently making its first steps after having raised some $900,000 in start-up capital. The money has been invested by Israeli company Ofakim Hi-Tech Ventures (OHV), which is owned by Capital Point, as well as private investors.

The company says that the new product is based on wireless technology that can distort digital stills and video in a way that prevents the images from being reconstructed or reused. The technology is not limited to confined spaces, but rather works in any space covered by the company's system.

PhotoFree says that the recent incorporation of cameras in cellular phones and the growing sales of digital cameras in the world have created a serious problem for companies, security services, celebrities, event organizers and targets of surveillance who can't avoid being photographed and furthermore can't prevent the photos from being published. Their new product aims to offer a solution to this problem.

The start-up company also argues that in recent years, companies dealing with sensitive research and development data have begun limiting the use of cellular phones with cameras within their buildings after having sustained severe losses due to commercial espionage.

The company goes on to say that security agencies are also facing the same problem - the risk of digital photography in top secret areas via cell phone cameras - and have yet to find a solution.

The company also aims to combat the phenomenon of voyeuristic crimes such as the photographing of women in public restrooms or clothing store fitting rooms.

The technology is being developed by entrepeneur and researcher Dr. Zeev Zalevsky from Bar Ilan University. Meir Teichner, the business development manager at OHV said that the technology is still in the initial development stage. "At this point it has been proven that the technology is possible, and our goal is to improve the range and capabilities of the product," he said.

Hila Goldman-Aslan, the CEO of PhotoFree, said that at this time, the product is merely at the idea stage.

"We're only at the beginning of the road. This is an idea on paper that we are hoping to develop. We will have more to add at a later stage," Goldman-Aslan said.