The use of personal imaging devices in the form of GameBoy cameras, lipstick sized video cameras, and even watch-sized still cameras create a cultural envirnment where the privacy and intellectual control are problematic at best. The embedded 'eyes' of the digital culture are panoptic in nature, forming an environment in which it is not certain whether we are watching or being watched, and to what degree.

verbotenbilden (or 'forbidden images') problematizes the agendas of the enforcement of corporate intellectual control and the privatization of public space in light of these devices. In the United States, photographers are not allowed to shoot images within malls or in sites where a company logo will be captured without express company permission.

However, devices like the Casio Wristcam go undetected when penetrating this restricted intellectual space, covertly amassing information, and even when discovered, individuals are so enthralled by the novelty of the device they are willing to violate their own company policies and risk immediate termination!