Sometimes privacy is handed over with film when it's taken to be developed.

"You hand over your right to privacy when you hand over your film," said Clay Calvert, assistant professor of communications, who specializes in media law.

The question of film privacy issues was raised last month after a 19-year-old man planned a "Columbine-style" massacre of the California community college he attended. The college student took pictures of himself with his bombs and when the pictures were developed at a one-hour photo lab, the technician saw them and called the police. The call led to the arrest of the man and also prevented the school shooting from taking place.

Photo labs, specifically one-hour photo labs, are required to look at pictures that come through the machine primarily for color and contrast.

The labs have to make sure the pictures are developed properly, said Kathy Showers, photo manager at Wal-Mart, 373 Benner Pike.

"We do look at photos as they come off the machine to color check them," Showers said.

If developers look for anything in the pictures, however, they primarily check for child pornography or any indication of child abuse.

"We are obligated to report things that would be considered child abuse or child pornography, but the employees are not responsible for reporting them — management is," Showers said.

People may become concerned with privacy issues that arise with photo development, but other aspects of technology may also invade their personal space without them even realizing it.

"We have a loss of privacy with the telephone because the phone company knows the numbers you are dialing," Calvert said.

Computer technology, such as e-mail, also has the potential to create privacy issues because those who employ the service also have a right to check that e-mail.

"If I use the Penn State system for my e-mail, they can check it if they employ the service," Calvert said.

People have to expect that people are going to look at their pictures and do not have a right to be upset because they chose to let others develop their film, Calvert said.

"Conceivably you can develop the film yourself," Calvert said.

Customers know their film is going to be looked at when they drop their film off at one-hour photo labs, Showers said.

The American Civil Liberties Union agreed that when film is dropped off, expectations of privacy are reduced, said Larry Frankel, executive director of Pennsylvania's ACLU branch.

"You're running a risk when you drop off your film for someone else to develop," he said.

The law is constantly changing regarding privacy rights with all types of issues, Frankel said.

Perhaps photo developing processes shouldn't bring up privacy issues but rather the possibility of people taking pictures of illegal activity wanting to be caught, Frankel said.