Australian Government tackles costly spam sms messages
If mobile phones were the birth of a revolution in personal communication. We watched the handsets get progressively smaller and functional marking maturity in this exciting new technological field.
Then along came premium sms ‘services’, ripping the virginity out of mobile phone networks.
Reaching heights lows such as the Crazy Frog, the advertisements featuring a remix of the Beverly Hills Cope theme was for many Australians an introduction to the underside of sms technology.
After sms’ing a request to have the ringtone/game/’some application that gets your best friends sister to sleep with you’ sent to a users phone at a cost the number is then stored and randomly bombarded with advertisement messages, at cost to the user.
Who thought this was a service the public needed I have no idea but it’s an annoyance that has been plaguing our mobile networks for over a decade now. Finally the government has announced they’re targeting dodgy premium sms scammers, albeit half heartedly.
I’ve lost count of the conversations I’ve had with people trying to explain to them why they’re getting these messages on their phones and being charged for them. They usually go something like this;
‘HALP! I’m getting these bullshit messages on my phone and they cost me $5 EACH!’
‘did you enter some stupid quiz?’
‘no.’
‘did you download some stupid ringtone or game?’
‘no.’
‘did you send out any sms at any time to a 1900 number?’
‘well yeah there was this playstation 3 competition on television i just had to answer how many playstations came before playstation 3′
‘…that’s you’re answer right there.’
‘but it was just a competition!’
‘They have your number now and by sending an sms to them you agree for them to send you stupid expensive messages and to charge you for them.’
‘oh…’
‘…so when do I get my playstation?’
‘…’
Most people just can’t seem to get their heads around the concept of incoming premium messages that cost you upwards of $5 each. Worst still they fail to make the connection between opting in for this rubbish by responding television ads that seem to air every 5 seconds.
I’m not usually one for babying people but even I’ve got to admit the idea that someone can send you an advertisement to your mobile, charge you for it and claim you agreed to it because you sent an initial message to them is pretty ludicrous.
Effective from July 1st 2009, the Australian government recently brought in a new code of conduct for premium sms service operators.
Companies now face fines of up to $250,000 if they continue to send unsolicited messages or mislead consumers about what they’re signing up to.
“The code’s new advertising requirements, and the fact that consumers will have to re-confirm they want to receive all mobile premium services, will go a long way to protect consumers from these problems.”
The industry was previously self-regulated.
I can guarantee you the same idiots who keep these scammers in business are still going to receive and send these expensive sms and then cry innocent.
What I do find somewhat hilarious though is that the government has allowed the industry to be self regulated for so long. This is an industry that profits from sending you advertising two fold, firstly from the advertisers and ssecondly from the people receiving the advertisements.
How in the holy hell the government thought they’d effectively regulate themselves when their entire business models revolve around tricking people into responding over and over again is beyond me.
The Australian government can push forward with plans to censor and regulate the entire freaking internet but when it comes to annoying sms services ‘oh no, we can’t do anything there sorry guys’.
Last I checked Stephen Conroy was the minister for ‘stuffing up our internet’, communications and the digital economy. So why isn’t he actively tackling stuff like this that is actually relevant and a nuisance to the Australian public?
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