Spam hits 200 million cell phones in China

By Janine de Blois

China Mobile issued an apology to it’s customers after almost half the country’s cell phone users received unsolicited commercial text messages.

Seven online advertising firms took advantage of a management loophole that allowed them to send unsolicited SMS messages to over 200 million users.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos called it a SMS spam tidalwave.

When the mobile phones of 200 million people in China all bleeped at once to tell them they had a new SMS spam, the authorities had to sit up and listen.

Misguided companies may be tempted to exploit modern technology in their attempt to get marketing messages in front of their potential audience, but spamming cellphones is simply not acceptable.

Sophos has recommended that China follow other countries around the world and clarify the rules regarding spam SMS messages.