Andy Adams asked:
Spam, the scourge of almost all forms of communication. Spamming is the sending of unsolicited junk mail, the term became popular during the first few years of the internet being used commercially in the 1990’s. People’s inboxes became flooded with virtual junk mail covering anything from free electrical goods to cheap Viagra pills. As a result there have been many software companies founded solely to shield the public from all this junk mail.
Whilst most email clients such as Microsoft’s Live mail and Google Mail are now able to screen most of the spam from their users the spammers are moving with the times and have set their sights on their next target: Mobile Phones.
Mobile Phones are seen as easy targets since text messages are the perfect medium for sending their junk mail to the world and their neighbour. The extent of this issue is most prevalent in China. In China there are an estimated 555 Million mobile phone users, two hundred million phone users who were surveyed reported to have been victims of mobile spam. Considering that most users reported that they received on average 8 spammy messages per week this makes for a huge problem.
In America and Europe this is also a problem with many of us struggling to find out how to stop the deluge of junk texts we receive, in this country the majority of them are in a way self inflicted. Many people, predominantly young people sign up to ring tone services for the latest tune on their mobile phones but fail to notice the small print that scrolls across the TV screen that states that it is a subscription service and you will be charged weekly whether you like it or not.
The only way to cease this is to find out what magic phrase you need to send to them in order to break free. Recent legislation ruled that all services must use the system where by if you send them a text message saying “STOP” then they must stop pestering you. This was as a result of many angry parents who ended up footing the bill for their children who have mobile phones, whilst most children with mobile phones have pay as you go mobile phones there are some parents that have trusted them with contract phones and so the potential cost is limitless.
Whilst the child having a contract phone means they will always be able to call home regardless of credit it is advisable that you contact your network operator to impose spending limits.
It is important that despite all the investigations and news regarding the matter text spam is not an epidemic and with a little vigilance with regards to who you give your mobile phone number to, you should remain spam free. Security firms like Trend Micro and Symantec are even developing portable versions of their security software to prevent the possibility of future malware or mobile viruses being spread on mobile phones.
Spam, the scourge of almost all forms of communication. Spamming is the sending of unsolicited junk mail, the term became popular during the first few years of the internet being used commercially in the 1990’s. People’s inboxes became flooded with virtual junk mail covering anything from free electrical goods to cheap Viagra pills. As a result there have been many software companies founded solely to shield the public from all this junk mail.
Whilst most email clients such as Microsoft’s Live mail and Google Mail are now able to screen most of the spam from their users the spammers are moving with the times and have set their sights on their next target: Mobile Phones.
Mobile Phones are seen as easy targets since text messages are the perfect medium for sending their junk mail to the world and their neighbour. The extent of this issue is most prevalent in China. In China there are an estimated 555 Million mobile phone users, two hundred million phone users who were surveyed reported to have been victims of mobile spam. Considering that most users reported that they received on average 8 spammy messages per week this makes for a huge problem.
In America and Europe this is also a problem with many of us struggling to find out how to stop the deluge of junk texts we receive, in this country the majority of them are in a way self inflicted. Many people, predominantly young people sign up to ring tone services for the latest tune on their mobile phones but fail to notice the small print that scrolls across the TV screen that states that it is a subscription service and you will be charged weekly whether you like it or not.
The only way to cease this is to find out what magic phrase you need to send to them in order to break free. Recent legislation ruled that all services must use the system where by if you send them a text message saying “STOP” then they must stop pestering you. This was as a result of many angry parents who ended up footing the bill for their children who have mobile phones, whilst most children with mobile phones have pay as you go mobile phones there are some parents that have trusted them with contract phones and so the potential cost is limitless.
Whilst the child having a contract phone means they will always be able to call home regardless of credit it is advisable that you contact your network operator to impose spending limits.
It is important that despite all the investigations and news regarding the matter text spam is not an epidemic and with a little vigilance with regards to who you give your mobile phone number to, you should remain spam free. Security firms like Trend Micro and Symantec are even developing portable versions of their security software to prevent the possibility of future malware or mobile viruses being spread on mobile phones.