Unidentified SMS's more than a Nuisance.
If you are a cellphone user, you’ve probably noticed how some messages you get don’t have the number from which they are sent, just the ‘name’ of the sender. When the sender is your mobile service provider or bank or a well-known company, you probably don’t mind. But what about an SMS that comes signed ‘Patriot’ or ‘India’?
SMS campaigns from unidentified senders and pre-recorded calls supposedly from celebrities are now vying with pesky commercial calls for top place in a growing list of telecom-related nuisances.
Bulk SMSes now come under brand names, company names or even assumed names. Consumers who receive SMSes that hurt their sensibilities are left with little recourse but to delete the message and get on with their lives.
Should you not be able to verify the identity of such senders? Well, TOI tried in one such case and failed to trace the sender. The SMS does give you a message centre number, but not a caller line identification (CLI). Attempts to call the message centre will prove fruitless, as this is always switched off to block all incoming calls.
Mobile companies who carry and deliver these SMSes — some of which you may find offensive — wash their hands of the issue, saying that all liability rests with the sender alone. This is also true of professional service firms like Mauj, Hangama, Cellebrum and others that handle bulk SMSs for clients. Besides, any individual can also opt to log on to a free SMS site, buy pirated software and a database of numbers and send bulk messages on his own.
TRAI has not got its teeth into the issue as yet, despite the fact that apart from being regular irritants and a breach of privacy, this bulk SMS facility can be a security hazard, hurt religious sentiments or cause civil unrest.
SMS campaigns from unidentified senders and pre-recorded calls supposedly from celebrities are now vying with pesky commercial calls for top place in a growing list of telecom-related nuisances.
Bulk SMSes now come under brand names, company names or even assumed names. Consumers who receive SMSes that hurt their sensibilities are left with little recourse but to delete the message and get on with their lives.
Should you not be able to verify the identity of such senders? Well, TOI tried in one such case and failed to trace the sender. The SMS does give you a message centre number, but not a caller line identification (CLI). Attempts to call the message centre will prove fruitless, as this is always switched off to block all incoming calls.
Mobile companies who carry and deliver these SMSes — some of which you may find offensive — wash their hands of the issue, saying that all liability rests with the sender alone. This is also true of professional service firms like Mauj, Hangama, Cellebrum and others that handle bulk SMSs for clients. Besides, any individual can also opt to log on to a free SMS site, buy pirated software and a database of numbers and send bulk messages on his own.
TRAI has not got its teeth into the issue as yet, despite the fact that apart from being regular irritants and a breach of privacy, this bulk SMS facility can be a security hazard, hurt religious sentiments or cause civil unrest.
No comments:
Post a Comment