S. Korea say no more silent camera apps

SEOUL, March 29 (UPI) -- South Korea says new regulations will ban silent smartphone camera apps that can capture photos without making a shutter click sound.

Such silent camera apps have led to an increase in clandestine photos, such as so-called under-skirt photos of women, being taken without the subject being aware they've been photographed, The Korea Times reported Friday.

So-called silent camera apps override a smartphone camera's normal shutter sound and make it possible to take pictures with almost no sound.

The new regulations will require apps to create a sound even when in "preview" mode prior to the photo being snapped, the Times said.