VietNamNet Bridge – Millions of mobile subscribers have turned mad about spam. They may receive a dozen unwanted text messages and phone calls a day on average. This is frustrating indeed.

The many complaints which users and authorities have made seem to fall on deaf ears. Mobile carriers have not acted to prevent SMS spam and unexpected phone calls by salespersons of companies. This is understandable because the more text messages and phone calls are made, the more money they get.

Their inaction has led the authorities to get tough. The HCMC Department of Information and Communications early this week ordered the mobile network operators and relevant agencies to promptly take measures to stop spam. Viettel, VinaPhone and MobiFone were told at the meeting that they should take technical measures to block SMS spam, including counting the number of texts sent in a given period of time, the department said at a meeting with mobile carriers.

The department also told the telecom firms to detect those subscribers that send SMS spam and invalidate their numbers.

Bui Viet Duong, head of the post and telecommunications division at the department, says inspectors of the department found many organizations using SIM cards and software to send out unwanted text messages last year. After thousands of text messages were delivered, they destroyed those SIM cards to avoid being caught.

The inspectors detected several organizations using more than 5,000 SIM cards to spread SMS spam, Duong says.

Last year, Hanoi City took tough measures against SMS spam with over 1,000 spam-sending subscription numbers eliminated. This year, the capital city will continue the campaign, Vietnamplus reports.

This is regarded as a desperate attempt of the city authorities to protect subscribers from being harassed by unwanted text messages and phone calls.

The mobile carriers have done something indeed in the wake of complaints but the situation seems to worsen. In 2014, VNPT said, it blocked more than 689 SIM cards used to spread spam messages and 109 content providers (CP). MobiFone has applied a technique to prevent spam based on the frequency of texting and is working on solutions to stop it based on text content.

For years, Vietnamese mobile phone users have been bombarded with scores of unwanted text messages advertising apartment sales, goods and services and games. Who sends out those texts is unknown. Some messages even contain pornographic content and web links that might be malicious. Not only adults but also children have fallen victim.

Le Nam Thang, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, tells Tin Tuc newspaper that there are many reasons for the prevalence of SMS spam. One is that the relevant laws, including that on the internet, have become outdated given the breakneck development of information technology. Hence, quite a few legal loopholes.

The technical barriers set up by network providers only affect enterprises that have signed contracts with those providers. Anyone who has a mobile phone can send a text message to advertise their goods and services, Thang explains.

Le Thai Hy, director of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications, says that since SMS spam is still playing out to the benefit of mobile carriers, there is no need for them to stop it. They even offer services that enable users to send text messages in bulk at low costs.

As reported by news site Vietnamnet, for the carriers reap huge revenues from SMS spam, no sane telecom firms would stop this good source of revenue.

A monthly survey conducted by BKAV in 2014, the leading cyber-security firm in Vietnam, showed that the number of unwanted text messages is on the rise. Some 9.8 million spam messages are sent to subscribers in Vietnam a day. Mobile networks normally pocket VND300 from each message sent, so the total sum they earn from SMS spam is VND100 billion a month.

Ha Hai Thanh from the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT) says in Thanh Nien newspaper that telecom service providers ought to protect their customers but they have done nothing in this regard.

In other countries, subscribers can switch to another carrier at ease without having their phone numbers changed. If the same is done in Vietnam, it would be a lot easier to block unwanted text messages and phone calls. This is because telecom firms must find ways to retain customers.

The HCMC Department of Information and Communications at the meeting told the mobile operators to apply technical measures to solve the issue. “No more discussion for now. We must roll up our sleeves to act. Technically, the carriers can block unwanted text messages and phone calls.”

They must sign their pledges to deal with the problem by February 4; otherwise, the department will inspect those failing to do so. Hence, heavy fines.

SGT