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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."
I can see it now, Mom and Pop stores could have messages sent to your device as you walk past or near their entrance
Bluetooth-enabled devices must include an easy hardware switch which allows the convenient shutting off of Bluetooth functionality. An indicator light displaying the current status must also be included on the device. Devices like the Tapwave Zodiac are well designed and include these features.
I always save my last mod point to mod up a good troll. You people are too serious.
If there's money to be made, there's advertising to do. It will continue in whatever medium we create.
Because the best security method is security via obscurity. It's been proven time after time.
(Sorry to post the obvious in response to a flamebait... someone's gotta do it, do I deserve the mod downs that may follow? ;)
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
What might be more interesting is bluetooth viruses. We're probably fairly safe since we dont have a monoculture in mobile phones like that which exists on the desktop, but you can just imagine bluetooth viruses hopping from phone to phone as their owner travels around :-). Plus the fact that its very difficult to update phones to fix holes could make this a pretty big problem if such security holes were found.
were you expecting to see a sig here? perhaps you'd rather see the inside of an ambulance!
I doubt there would be spam like we have now on email, the range is simply to short. But I can see supermarkets or similar companys using this to send you messages while in there store.
Annoying sure, but at least semi-relevant to what your doing. And at least you can turn it off. (You can, can't you?)
Yeah, I'm not sure this sort of thing is likely to be abused. Maybe a local store will pop a message to my phone with some sort of lure to get me in, but unlike most Spam that would be relevant and hopefully interesting. The range thing means I'd be within throwing distance of the "Spammer" to, so unwelcome offensive spam is likely to incur the potential for physical retaliation.
You are in a maze of twisted little posts, all alike.
Absolutely.. What you will see is kiosks that are setup in crowded areas (Airport terminals, malls, etc..) that continually look for devices to send messages to. Potentially big business.
At the most basic level, you'll see stores use this as a means to automatically transmit specials and what-not as you walk into the store.
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*all* bluejacking is: turning on your bluetooth and scanning for nearby devices who's idiot owners haven't turned "discoverable" off. that's what "discoverable" means: your phone can be discovered and messaged. Nokia ships with this on by default.
it's not some cool hack, or anything, it's just a setting within bluetooth for exchanging information without pairing.
My phone has a blue LED that indicates, yes, you guessed it, that I'm using bluetooth. It *doesn't* mean I've been dumb enough not to realise that if you don't put a tick in the "discoverable" box that you can get short range messages from strangers.
Yeah, but not your classic spammer. Instead it'll be your Mom and Pop deli or quicky mart announcing the latest special as you walk by.
As soon as someone makes a device as easy to program as those LED bars, and as cheap, businesses will eat them up like candy.
Wow... does the potential for having someone send a message to your phone really invoke such ire? Somebody needs a hug...
I mean really, let's think about this: If you're walking in front of my coffee shop and I "bluejack" you with a coupon for a half-price latte, are you gonna come in and beat the crap out of me because I made your phone beep? I think we're so programmed to see (and hate!) 'spam' that we automatically get our hackles raised about something that could actually be a cool way to support small businesses and escape the "WalMart" mentality.
I know I'm guilty too, but I'm trying to learn to relax. Just my two cents worth... decimate at will... (sigh)
You are in a little twisting maze of passages, all different. You're screwed.
What's to stop an advertising company from installing a little box in Times Square or any other heavy traffic and then selling message time on it? What are you going to do, punch the box?
let's think about this: If you're walking in front of my coffee shop and I "bluejack" you with a coupon for a half-price latte
Leave me alone! Leave my phone alone! Put a sign in your window.
Let's perform a thought experiment. Suppose you hire someone to stand out on the sidewalk and harass people that pass by to come into your store. Some people will call the police. Some people will punch that person in the nose. And perhaps there will be other responses as well. Some might try to get you some bad PR on the news.
Wow... does the potential for having someone send a message to your phone really invoke such ire?
Yes. As it should.
Those who would give up liberty in exchange for security and DRM should switch to Microsoft Palladium!
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.
This is not an invitation for hundreds, thousands, millions or billions of businesses to harass me.
Save the drama... Thousands? Millions? Billions? I know I can type 'till I'm blue (no pun intended) in the fingers, but I must insist, there's some sort of inconsistency regarding someone with a phone strapped to his hip and a "Leave Me Alone!" attitude. 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.
Yes, someone is trying to sell you something. The beep of a Bluetooth takes a second from your battery life. The size of an email costs bandwidth. The height of a billboard blocks a piece of otherwise beautiful sky. The length of a TV commercial spins your electric meter a bit. The full page newspaper ad taxes the recycling plant just one more bit.
Advertising makes the (Western) world go 'round, and for all of it's ills, I'd like to see capitalism work. From my admittedly uneducated point of view, a few things have to happen to make that a reality:
- Justice must be served to those who cheat the system, like Ken Lay.
- Controls must be put in place (and enforced) to keep jobs from being exported.
- Mom n' Pop shops need some kinda break from the fear of WalMartopoly.
It might seem offtopic, but it's not: that last point is important. When one company controls the price of everything, then there's no healthy competition. So the MnP shops are important to a healthy economy. And if MomNPop's Shoe Shop can't afford a 4-color 16 page insert in the sunday paper, then I say "more power to them" when they Bluetooth me as I pass them on the way to WalMart for new boots. As a matter of fact, 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.And this is where I'll agree to disagree. You and I see things fundamentally differently. I don't mind throwing away things I don't need (but I do like it when technology gives an assist, like the Outlook filter that moves new mail containing the word "Viagra" to the TrashCan). I'm sorry that interruptions cause you to become so angry, and I hope that they don't cause you to get in any trouble.
Take care.
You are in a little twisting maze of passages, all different. You're screwed.