Sri Lanka: Financial Times elaborates on spam issue raised by LIRNEasia

Posted by Chanuka Wattegama on January 7, 2010 / 5 Comments

The stream of blog posts started with a single SMS – apparently by the President of the country to every mobile user. It was initially thought a commercially paid advertisement aimed at the forthcoming Presidential Election but the operators confirmed it is a favour requested by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. Does this violate the election laws of the country? Was that an unsolicited entry to mobile users’ personal spaces?

LIRNEasia with groundviews and W3Lanka blew the whistle first now it is the turn of the mass media.
We reproduce here news item and the editorial carried by the Financial Times. The delay and scanned versions are explained by the unavailability of an online edition of the newspaper.

Editorial:

News Story:

(Please click on images for bigger views)

5 Comments

Sanjana Hattotuwa
January 7, 2010, 8:36 pm
Actually the FT does have an online presence – http://www.ft.lk. It is a textbook example of how NOT to design and deploy a media website. Thanks for putting these up.
Nadeera
January 12, 2010, 11:27 am
Prof. Samarajiva,

There is a facility provided by Service providers to exclude yourself from SMSs. Please contact your service provider and exempt yourself from receiving these SMSs, without wasting our time, media space…etc. Because anybody can send an SMS to any valid number, whether the receiver likes or not. I don’t have to give my number to you to receive an SMS from you…Simple as that. Use your valuable time for something important.

Thanks
1. Rohan Samarajiva
  
  January 12, 2010, 12:41 pm
  
  Readers may find the letter from CMEV of interest: http://cmev.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/serious-concerns-with-regard-to-the-unsolicited-new-year%E2%80%99s-day-text-message-sent-on-behalf-of-the-president-and-other-consequential-issues-relating-to-the-conduct-of-a-free-and-fair-presidenti/
Sajiva
January 12, 2010, 2:09 pm
Now feel “important” Prof! That’s what you wanted all these time!! “mama porak”
rangouk
January 26, 2011, 11:53 am
This cannot be considered spam per se. SPAM is when you get unsolicited messages without opting in to something, over and over, or someone is clearly trying to scam you in such a manner. Those would be spam OF CONCERN.

Shouting about one new year’s message, shouting which has obvious political motives, is useless.

Why don’t you speak about the lack of SPAM laws in Sri Lanka? That will be more useful and worthy of discussion.

There’s an increasing amount of unsolicited marketing done by some big companies, which in some cases happen to be a breach of their privacy policy. Those emails are more of a nuisance than a new years message from a President.