This post was published 2 months 12 days ago. This info might have changed or might have become outdated.

A lot of people weren’t happy with the video camera on the iPod Nano, but Life Time Fitness Centers took that one step further. Due to privacy concerns, they have banned the new nanos from their locker rooms, and are currently devising rules to ensure that no one is using the music player/video camera to catch some candid (and illegal) workout footage of their fellow health enthusiasts.

Using phone cams in gyms has been banned for some time, but it is pretty obvious in most cases when someone is using their phone to take a picture or video. Who usually talks on their phone or texts while holding it a foot in front of their face staring fixedly into the screen? However with the iPod Nano there is little or no way to tell the difference between that creepy guy on the treadmill awkwardly shooting video or sorting through his Hootie and the Blowfish collection.

The Pioneer Press in Minneapolis is reporting as follows…

The video-taking capability has forced Chanhassen-based Life Time to restrict Nano use in its 84 facilities in 19 states for privacy-related reasons. Other fitness centers in Minnesota are considering similar Nano restrictions.

Compact camera-equipped devices, such as cell phones, have been gadgets non grata at health clubs for years. The Life Time chain, for instance, has long forbidden their use in locker rooms because of the potential for compromising photos or video footage to be distributed online.

And with the new Nano fitting this category, its use in locker rooms for any reason is forbidden, said spokesman Jason Thunstrom. Discerning whether someone is taking video or just queuing up a music mix can be difficult.

If this trend is picked up by other major gym chains (and I see no reason why it won’t be as privacy becomes more and more of a concern)  this will be a minor pain in the nano for Apple, who made a lot of noise about including iPod + Nike fitness functionality in the new devices.

So, I guess this means that the iUpskirt app will be a big REJECT, Steve?

(Photo: Kamil Frankowicz)