The Register is reporting that BT have shut down the SMS service due to Data Protection fears.
However, BT’s own website for the service shows that they haven’t actually stopped the service at all – just added an extra level of “security” to it. Now, instead of requesting the information justing by texting the service with a phone number, you now need to include the phone number and the account number.
This will presumably cut out a large percentage of the “poor man’s credit check”-type lookups, but it seems to miss the point that they’re still willing to supply this information without customers’ consent.
I don’t recall every receiving anything from BT telling me to treat my account number with utmost confidentiality, as anyone who gets access to it will be able to access my information …
Just wish I could stop the BT sms email alert which wakes me up at 3 in the morning when the phone rings twice to tell me I have easicom emails-BT don’t know how I can stop it unless I pay £19 quid a month for their email blocker- They ended the talk21 service but that just means I cant access the email address. Cheers David.
To David
ME too! I’d like to hang the CEO of BT by his testicles. I just had a call at 5.00am New Years Day. Can’t these cretins prevent these messages at unsociable hours? The messages I’ve had have been from abroad trying to sell me something which I sure as hell would not buy from them anyway!
Following up on BTs shocking modus operandi, I sent a letter to Ofcom, the content of which is below and self explanatory. However, I doubt if this spineless, ineffective government appointed body will do anything to help.
5th January 2010
Ofcom
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HA
Dear Ofcom
BT SMS – New Year
I ask you to consider BTs operations regarding their thoughtless and offensive mobile SMS (text) offered to senders of good will at New Year? These messages are sent from mobile phones to terrestrial phones, such as in ones home, with the intention of the SMS being converted to speech and hopefully received at the turn of mid-night by recipients. I am sure the senders, which will be many, many thousands, believe the messages will hit the recipients, their friends, just after 12 midnight, and this is probably an idea misleadingly propagated by BT. However, due to the phone traffic jamming situation with so many similar messages being sent on New Year’s Eve, ones home phone rings at anytime during the twilight hours. In my case this year it was 3.25 am when my family was fast asleep. However, BTs robotic voice did say it was a ‘phased’ message, whatever this means.
This has also happened in a year before and is an appalling use of technology used by BT to make money. Not only will my family have been affected, but thousands of others too. Also, why should I have to remember next New Year to switch off my phone before retiring when I may also need the phone for someone wanting to reach me in the case of emergency? In fact, decent people and bodies do not make calls unnecessarily to homes at unwanted times as BT is doing.
If street rowdies or noisy neighbours cause sleepless nights for the public at large, they can be prosecuted. I believe BT should be hauled over the coals for their behaviour in this connection. Surely it could be classified as illegal. However, it is definitely indecent and surely requires investigation by Ofcom.
Yours sincerely
Brian Dixon