Can report and claim compensation for junk messages, netizens can't sit still...

Recently, the topic of "Man sues for harassment text messages and receives 500 yuan compensation" has surged to the top of the hot search list.

What, you can claim 500 yuan?

The money-loving Foxy Sister, who is always keen on making money, quickly went to check it out with great interest!

By the way, let me tell you all about what exactly happened.

The situation is like this...

A netizen received advertising text messages from a certain loan platform for two consecutive days in November 2022.

However, the netizen had not previously provided any information to this loan platform.

After being thoroughly annoyed by these inexplicable harassments, this netizen filed a lawsuit, citing "sending advertising messages to his real-name authenticated phone number without consent, violating his information protection rights," and demanded an apology and 500 yuan in compensation for mental distress.

The court ultimately ruled in favor of the netizen's lawsuit, with the messaging platform apologizing to the netizen and compensating them with 500 yuan.

Seeing this, Fox Sister, like some other netizens, couldn't contain herself...

Who hasn't received harassing messages on their phones these days? Does that mean anyone can get rich quick just like that?

Moreover, who still communicates frequently through text messages these days?

The people who send frequent text messages to Fox Sister every day are basically down to two types: commercial marketing advertisements and scammers...

Of course, the situation like what happened to Sister Fox is probably something that most netizens are currently experiencing.

According to the report "Summary of Complaints about Junk Information in the Second Quarter of 2023" published by 12321, in terms of junk messages, commercial marketing accounts for over 80%, while the remaining 20% is contributed by scammers.

However, speaking of which, although we receive plenty of spam messages, actually earning this 500 yuan doesn't seem easy.

If we were to pursue legal action, just the process of collecting evidence for the lawsuit might be enough to deter some netizens.

Not to mention contacting lawyers, and preparing for court... With such a low return on investment, it's not something everyone can afford!

If you want to earn some pocket money this way, I'm afraid very few people can afford the effort.

Not to mention, their harassment takes the form of not only text messages but also phone calls!

After checking the data, it was found that the current phone harassment is even more serious than text message harassment!

According to the "2023 China Mobile Security Status Report for the First Half of the Year" released by 360, in just the first half of 2023, 360 Security Brain intercepted 11.89 billion instances of phone harassment!

This is just the interception count of the 360 Security Brain radar system alone, not including the ones it failed to intercept. So the actual number is definitely higher... There's just no end to it!

Fox sister also found something, from the number of harassing calls intercepted, there is a commonality with spam messages: the majority of the harassing calls are related to loan and financial management!

The main sources of harassing calls are from Ping An Bank, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank, and 360 Jietiao...

The fox sister also feels deeply about this. I often receive messages from major banks and some loan platforms, saying that I have a loan application limit...

Even more outrageous is that my little nephew who has just started junior high school has also received them!

These loan platforms can be said to be "indiscriminately" targeting every person with a mobile phone.

It's really disgusting...

What is the reason behind the frequent invasion of our private space by "junk messages"?

One of the most important reasons, in Fox Sister's opinion, is that the cost of sending junk messages is very low!

At present, the main means of sending junk messages is through specific SMS platforms for mass distribution. Not only is the threshold low, but the messages can also bypass interception and reach the target users' phones directly.

What's even more outrageous is that the price for each text message is only around 3 cents, and new users can even enjoy a free trial. Moreover, they can send tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of messages in a single instance...

The operation is also simple, just directly import the numbers to send the messages to, edit the message content, and then send it with just one click.

This cost-effectiveness has attracted many marketers to focus on SMS marketing as a "track"...

Another reason is the issue of personal information leakage!

At one point, Hu Mei thought that the personalized customization of big data on the internet was already impressive enough. Just a few seconds after discussing with her best friend what she wanted, Taobao would accurately push related interest-based products to her.

It can be seen that the "big data" capabilities of commercial marketers are just as impressive as internet personalized services, just like in the following image:

I believe many friends have experienced this before. Clearly, you haven't even interacted with these commercial platforms, yet they always seem to easily locate you!

The text message also includes: "Reply 'R/TD' to unsubscribe." It's really frustrating to see this. Who exactly subscribed to your content on my behalf in secret?

I thought that by following its instructions and unsubscribing, I could finally get some peace... but the next day, it starts sending you the same content again...

So, when you reply to unsubscribe, you've already fallen into their "trap"...

The sender adds an unsubscribe reminder at the end of the spam message, not for the convenience of users to unsubscribe, but to induce users to reply to this message.

Because when they push these spam messages, they are not sure if these phone numbers are real and valid. By inducing you to reply, they then know that this phone number is a real and valid one.

And just like that, unknowingly, we get marked...

Alright! You have your Zhang Liang's strategy, and I have my over-the-wall ladder!

Netizens have discovered a "thorough" way to unsubscribe.

Simply reply with "0000" and then send "0" to "truly" unsubscribe from these junk messages.

But just as Fox Sister felt secretly delighted upon discovering this good method, she then came across a report about replying to spam messages.

A vice professor from a certain university's School of Cybersecurity remarked, "No matter what symbols or characters you reply with, it's meaningless. Instead, you're falling into the sender's trap."

Well... Anyway, it seems like there's no way to actively deal with these spam messages.

The key is, the more you ignore them, the more brazen they become!

Now, not only does Fox Sister encounter text message harassment, but also some more outrageous behavior, like adding you directly on WeChat and even accurately calling out my name...

You might ask who he is, but he only replies: Add me!

The reasons behind this, those who understand, understand...

Apart from the sharing of user information among major industries, a large portion also comes from the "gray industry chain" of illegally selling personal user information.

And, many apps now excessively collect personal information, often requiring you to fill out personal details. If you refuse, you can't use many features.

Moreover, the cost for these commercial marketers to obtain our personal information is not high, which allows more businesses and criminals to act recklessly.

Although in recent years, various authorities and media outlets have been reminding everyone to increase awareness of information security, relying solely on us to raise awareness of information security is simply not a practical solution!

After all, not everyone has the courage and time like the netizen mentioned by Fox Sister earlier to deal with "junk messages"!

In reality, most people are already doing well if they can desensitize themselves to junk messages...

Fox Sister personally believes that it may be more practical for telecom operators to increase the operating costs of junk messages.

Furthermore, mobile phone manufacturers and some technology platforms should enhance the system's interception and filtering capabilities.

Only in this way can we more effectively control harassment and protect information security...

References:

Chai Dogovsky: "Received a Net Loan Message and Sued for Compensation of 500! Netizens: Counted and Can Get Rich..."

360 Official Website: "China Mobile Security Report for the First Half of 2023"

Guiyang Evening News: "Why Is It So Difficult to Control 'Junk Messages'?"

The Paper: "Should You Reply to the 'Reply TD to Unsubscribe' Message? Don't Be Deceived!"

Screenshots from Zhihu, Weibo, and other online platforms.