Even AP Can't Figure Out What The FCC Is Doing With Phone Spam

from the let's-take-it-slowly... dept

Last August, the FCC confused a lot of people by announcing that they were adding emails sent to mobile phones to the CAN SPAM act. Many confused people simply assumed that the FCC was adding SMS text messaging to CAN SPAM. The reality, however, was that they were simply adding emails sent to mobile phones. Many carriers offer with each phone number an email address that will send email directly to the phone. Most subscribers have no idea that their phone service includes this feature, but there's a high likelihood that it does. Thus, specific email addresses like myphonenumber@email.mycarrier.net will go to my phone. In order for the FCC to accurately make it illegal, they first needed a list from all the various carriers, which they have now put online. Of course, if you read the bizarre and almost incomprehensible Associated Press coverage of this (barely) news, they make it sound like this list is the list of sites that send mobile spam to users, which is pretty much the opposite of what this list really is. Update: Apparently, folks at the AP read Techdirt. As noted in the comments, the AP has rushed out a correction on the story.