Posted by
CmdrTaco
on from the step-in-the-right-direction dept.
mickers writes "news.com.au reports that in Australia, phone companies which allow SMS spam to be sent across their networks face fines of up to A$10 million under a new industry code.." Are people having a huge problem with SMS spam yet, or is this sort of action more pre-emptive?
This is nice and all...
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Insightful
...but why not instead take the action of banning the spammers and punishing them as well? Basically, put it in the contract when you let someone use your network that if they send spam, they'll face nasty fines and be subject to litigation?
Re:This is nice and all...
by
dhuv
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· Score: 5, Insightful
Most of the spam comes from countries where that law cannot/wouldnot reach.
Right on...
by
jdreed1024
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· Score: 5, Insightful
Are people
having a huge problem with SMS spam yet, or is this sort of action more pre-emptive?
Who cares? It's still a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it seems that in today's society we often have to wait until something is already a serious problem before doing anything about it. Yay Australia for taking this step.
I can't say we get a lot of SMS Spam... maybe 1 or 2 messages a week... but the main difference is that SMS Spam requires immediate attention, which makes is 10 times more annoying.
With email spam, you receive it at your leisure when you get the rest of your email. So you are essentially getting it when you are mentally prepared to.
SMS spam on the other hand interupts whatever it is you are doing because your phone beeps and demands attention. This means that if the message you get is spam, it is much more annoying because unlike getting a message from a friend, it is something completely worthless and nowhere near as interesting as what you were doing in the first place.
Don't be fooled
by
honestpuck
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· Score: 5, Insightful
Well actually SMS spam is an incredibly minor problem in Australia. I don't even believe this is a pre-emptive measure.
I think that what we have here is a government doing it's usual thrashing around trying to convince people it understands technology and its problems and trying to convince us that its doing something about our problems without having to admit that it either doesn't want or cannot address the real issues like email spam, an incredibly low broadband take up rate and a badly performing virtual telecommunications monopoly in the shape of Telstra.
Of course a large part of the Australian electorate will be convinced. Hey, those cool dudes in the Government and its bureacracy are doing a great job -- look at the way they handled SMS spam.
Tony Williams
Re:can YOU turn off SMS?
by
Simon+Lyngshede
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· Score: 4, Insightful
If you find one, let me know will you? Phones are not for written messages.
About the whole spam think. Why is it that people won't look to Denmark. We have the solution. Spam in any form is banned and have been for many years. You are not allowed to call people, knock on their door, sending mail and sms, with the purpose of selling them something. This is all covered by one law, originally made to stop door to door sallsmen.
People have already been find for email spam and a trial on sms spam is in progress.
Re:SMS Spam from my provider
by
Stuart+Gibson
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· Score: 4, Insightful
If your phone beeping is a probable cause for an accident you either shouldn't be driving or shouldn't have a phone, maybe even both.
What's the next plan - suing ice cream vans, or fire services because of the distracting noise?
Goblin
-- It's all fun and games until a 200' robot dinosaur shows up and trashes Neo-Tokyo... Again
Slashdot Mirror
...but why not instead take the action of banning the spammers and punishing them as well? Basically, put it in the contract when you let someone use your network that if they send spam, they'll face nasty fines and be subject to litigation?
Who cares? It's still a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it seems that in today's society we often have to wait until something is already a serious problem before doing anything about it. Yay Australia for taking this step.
There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
I can't say we get a lot of SMS Spam... maybe 1 or 2 messages a week... but the main difference is that SMS Spam requires immediate attention, which makes is 10 times more annoying.
With email spam, you receive it at your leisure when you get the rest of your email. So you are essentially getting it when you are mentally prepared to.
SMS spam on the other hand interupts whatever it is you are doing because your phone beeps and demands attention. This means that if the message you get is spam, it is much more annoying because unlike getting a message from a friend, it is something completely worthless and nowhere near as interesting as what you were doing in the first place.
I think that what we have here is a government doing it's usual thrashing around trying to convince people it understands technology and its problems and trying to convince us that its doing something about our problems without having to admit that it either doesn't want or cannot address the real issues like email spam, an incredibly low broadband take up rate and a badly performing virtual telecommunications monopoly in the shape of Telstra.
Of course a large part of the Australian electorate will be convinced. Hey, those cool dudes in the Government and its bureacracy are doing a great job -- look at the way they handled SMS spam.
Tony Williams
If you find one, let me know will you? Phones are not for written messages.
About the whole spam think. Why is it that people won't look to Denmark. We have the solution. Spam in any form is banned and have been for many years. You are not allowed to call people, knock on their door, sending mail and sms, with the purpose of selling them something. This is all covered by one law, originally made to stop door to door sallsmen.
People have already been find for email spam and a trial on sms spam is in progress.
If your phone beeping is a probable cause for an accident you either shouldn't be driving or shouldn't have a phone, maybe even both.
What's the next plan - suing ice cream vans, or fire services because of the distracting noise?
Goblin
It's all fun and games until a 200' robot dinosaur shows up and trashes Neo-Tokyo... Again