Aussie Regulator Comes Down On SMS Spam 76
An anonymous reader writes "The Australian Communications and Media Authority has commenced legal proceedings in the Federal Court against several local and international companies over allegedly unsolicited SMS spam. It's the first time the regulator has used its powers under the Spam Act to pursue an alleged SMS spammer through the Courts. Other companies have been fined or committed to an 'enforceable undertaking' to avoid this type of action (although these are not without issue). Another firm accused of SMS spam accused the regulator of being overzealous after it received a formal warning. The regulator appears to have instituted a crackdown on the premium mobile content industry in recent months, culminating in this latest action."
Re:Die Spammers!! (Score:4, Interesting)
First, I recommend everyone get a plan with free SMS.
Still, I agree with the parent.
Since killing them with fire is not enough of a punishment for these spammers, according to mark72005, I propose we find some other cruel way to kill these spammers for their horrible act of racking up unwanted charges for text messages.
We could nail their fingers to a wall for one month per SMS they sent out? So for every 1mil messages... that's a finger, and with the time added, considering most of these guys spammed well over 9000 people... they are really gonna be in for a world of hurt, until they eventually die, hanging from their fingers.
AND THEN we burn them.
Re:Die Spammers!! (Score:5, Interesting)
It doesn't cost you money to answer (and hang up on) a telemarketer. And there's a no-call list in most states that works pretty well.
Well, kind of. I value my time at home and when I'm doing something that I don't enjoy, I expect to be compensated (pay check, home improvement, if-I-don't-clean-this-shit-up-my-wife-will-leave-me, etc.) Just because I don't see a new number on my phone bill doesn't mean I'm not sacrificing something of value.
Since the don't-call-list, I've received only a handful of telemarketing calls but still get political, charity, and survey calls. My typical response is to ask the caller whether they're volunteering their time to call me. If they are, I'll give them a couple of minutes to make their pitch (if it's a political call and the person is motivated and well-informed, I may talk for a while if I have nothing going on - charities I prefer to research myself rather than take the word of a random caller). If they're being paid (typically the case for surveys and mixed results for charity/political), I ask why they expect me to spend time on the call for free when they won't. Ends the call pretty effectively.
Re:Die Spammers!! (Score:3, Interesting)
We've got a plan from Net10 [net10.com] (not for everybody - It's $.10/minute at a minimum average of $15/month or so). When we accept a SMS message, it costs $.05 but we do get to see who sent it before committing to reading it - Declining to read it saves your nickel. Not exactly what you're asking for, but it does allow us to reject the trash without paying for messages or signing up for unlimited SMS.
Do unsolicited gifts laws apply in the us? (Score:4, Interesting)
Do unsolicited gifts laws apply in the us? about being forced to pay for in coming texts? Has any one taking that to court?
This is like a COD that they say it hear YOU PAY NOW! You don't want it WE SHIPPED to you so YOU PAY.
If UPS, FEDEX, or the USPS tried the same thing the courts likely kill that off fast and what if your only choice was pay for all in coming and what you send even if you send very little or no shipping at all and the only way is to pay for a package deal that costs much more then you need to pay and comes with way more then you use per month.