Spammed by Bluetooth

An Anonymous Reader writes "BBC News is reporting a new craze - using Bluetooth to send unsolicited messages. Apparently lots of phone owners are leaving Bluetooth switched on, meaning that anyone within range can send a short message. The phenomenon is known as "bluejacking". It's not clear at present that this is being done by anyone other than pranksters, but one can't help wondering, how long before commercial spammers catch on."

Comments

Re:"Bluejacking" possibilities

[ReelOddeeo]

I've often thought people were a little over the top about spam, too. Granted, I don't pay for metered bandwidth, but I get lots of spam everyday - it's NEVER made me want to punch anybody.

I don't pay for metered bandwidth. But I do have limited on bandwidth. Maybe you simply don't get enough spam. Please post your e-mail address. Surely you don't mind? It's just an unsolicited message. (Apply all of your arguments here.)


It's just funny. And the bottom line is, if you feel 'harassed' by a text message, you're not yet ready for the real world.

Please. Stop the insults and address the issue.

It's like litter. If just one person does it, there is no real problem. But everyone notices that they can do this behavior at no apparent cost. Now there is a problem.

If bluetooth spamming is allowed to happen, then every business will want to (ab)use it. Everyone's phone will be constantly beeping them. So everyone will turn off their bluetooth -- thus rendering the feature useless. Sort of like e-mail. Entirely defeating the purpose of the feature. To be easily contacted, even by strangers. (Which is NOT what anyone is upset about. Nor over the top about.) In fact, if I "misconfigure" my phone to accept messages from strangers, then maybe I wanted such contact!


The beep of a Bluetooth takes a second from your battery life. The size of an email costs bandwidth.

The battery life or bandwidth are not ethe issues. You obviously do not get enough spam to understand the issue. Or you have too much time on your hands. Or simply place no value on time. (Maybe you have nothing better to do?)

The issue is about TIME. SPAM is an enormous waste of time. And resources. I don't remember the statistics about how many dollars are wasted because of spam. But it is a large number.

My legitimate e-mail gets lost in the noise. Are you simply unable to see why people are upset?


TV commercial.....full page newspaper ad

Irrelevant. Not like spam. Spammers don't pay for my connection to the internet nor the content I get from it.


Advertising makes the (Western) world go 'round, and for all of it's ills, I'd like to see capitalism work.

I'd like to see capitalism work too. Eliminating spam in all its forms, including bluetooth won't prevent this. If you have a shop, you're free to put up a sign. You have no right to bother me as I pass by. If you put up a sign, and it is obnoxious enough (blinking, twitching, jumping, scrolling, seziure inducing), I'll avoid even passing by your shop, and I'll be sure that your neighboring businesses know this too.

Spam has nothing to do with capitalism. Legitimate marketers are interested in a legitimate target market.

Spam whether by mail or bluetooth is NOT advertising.


Mom n' Pop shops need some kinda break from the fear of WalMartopoly.

I agree with your sentiment here. But spamming is not the way to do it. Isn't the walmart-opoly phenomena just part of that wonderful unrestrained unbridled greed of capitalism run amuck that you want? Big powerful interests can mold things to work their way, despite the interests of many shop owners expressed to the city council and zoning commission?


I'll take it one step further and wish that I could make my phone yell "Hey! I'm shopping for shoes!" as I drive TO WalMart.

This is the way it should work. Sort of like an electronic yellow-pages. I should be able to see your ad when I WANT to see it and am looking for it.

Even if my phone/pda could announce what is on my shopping list, it would be abused to the point of uselessness. Everybody just isn't going to play nice. If my pda says I'm looking for shoes, then shops I pass by will try to sell me tennis rackets, sweaters, cameras, etc.

The directory concept would work. Suppose I could pu