Police Plan To Bluespam People About Locking Their Doors

from the this-is-a-good-idea-how? dept

Fri, Jun 22nd 2007 6:14pm — Mike Masnick

We still can't figure out why anyone thinks "bluespamming" is a good idea. Bluespamming, if you don't know, is setting up a system to look for phones with bluetooth enabled, and sending them an automatic message if they're nearby. It's spam, via bluetooth. Yet, for some reason, many organizations that are doing it, such as the US Navy don't seem to realize it's intrusive and annoying. The latest to dip into bluespamming are police in West Yorkshire who somehow think that bluespamming people reminders to lock their doors and windows will be effective. Perhaps it'll teach people to better lock up their mobile phones so bluespamming doesn't bother them instead.

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27 Comments

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dav3, 22 Jun 2007 @ 7:49pm

thanks for reminding me to turn my bluetooth off
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jun 2007 @ 7:57pm

so stupid
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jun 2007 @ 8:26pm

I can't see anything wrong with this except the fact that you are supporting new buzzwords.

A reminder to secure your stuff (be it house or phone) can only be good, as statistics show inarguably that most people won't do it unless you give them a good reason to. The house part is taken care of by house thieves, and now the phone security patr is taken care of by this new form of spam.

Even if you don't believe that, the spam will probably influence some people to learn how to use their phone better, and they now have the added security and battery life due to having bluetooth turned off. Who doesn't like that?
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Tortel, 22 Jun 2007 @ 9:56pm

What?
If people cant secure their phones, what makes you think they will secure their homes?
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Behumat, 22 Jun 2007 @ 10:04pm

I love getting Bluespam, its fun to respond telling them to go fuck themselves.
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DV Henkel-Wallace, 23 Jun 2007 @ 9:13am

Re: [what's wrong with it?]
The problem is that the bluetooth messaging capability could be handy for certain functions (e.g. equipment a work could ask for help from passers-by) but once unsolicited spam starts, everyone will switch the caability off and another possibly useful communication will become polluted to death.
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John (profile), 23 Jun 2007 @ 10:59am

A society of fear
Are there really packs of thieves roaming the neighborhoods, testing every door to find the one that's unlocked? Are thieves "casing the joint" to figure out when you leave your house and when you leave the door unlocked? Despite what many alarm companies advertise, sorry, but you aren't the center of the world and gangs of thieves aren't watching your house 24 hours a day waiting for that one moment when they can strike.
Face it, if a thief wants your stuff, all they have to do is break a window... without even checking to see if the door is unlocked. The professional thieves will be gone before the police are even notified. And the even more professional ones will drive up in a van and convince the nosy neighbors that they're helping you move! (Or is this an urban legend?)

One time, I went on vacation for an entire week and in my hurry, I forgot to lock the front door. Guess what? Nothing happened at all- nothing was stolen and the world didn't end. Everything was exactly the way I had left it... including the dishes in the sink.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2007 @ 1:22pm

Remember 'can cause injury can cause injury'?
The last time we had a nanny government, they ran ads about the dangers of putting rugs on top of polished floors - you might slips!
And the dangers of picking up heavy weights. Remember the robot that repeats 'can cause injury can cause injury...'

It's a trend, the whole countries gotten like this now. TV is full of 'everything is a scam' TV programs that make people afraid that everything is a scam and everyone a robber/scammer/murderer.

Apparently they've arrest that nasty builder who was going around 'cold calling' on people to sell his services.

We use to call it selling yourself, or door to door saleman, but now they call it cold calling and made it illegal.
'Cos sometimes a person knocking on the front door is a robber to distract you from the back door. Important to guard both doors at the same time.

And sometimes old people will be easily scammed, because they are alone and the social fabric of Britain has collapsed as everyone is afraid of everyone else.

Ahh, send him to the middle east as the US envoy. Because middle Englands ready to lynch him.
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Beck, 23 Jun 2007 @ 1:48pm

Why Bother?
Why should I lock my doors? Crooks would assume they're locked, whether they are or not. And they still manage to get into locked houses as easily as unlocked houses, so why bother? Just don't tell anyone about it.
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Geoff Lynch, 23 Jun 2007 @ 5:40pm

Opportunist burglars
Actually, around my way (West Yorkshire) you do get criminals going door-to-door, just trying handles. If someone catches them, they say they are selling stuff.

WY police recognise it as a big problem. Something like 50% of burglaries are through unlocked doors. A police officer I spoke to said that they don't want to break windows since they would attract attention, or they might cut themselves and leave DNA evidence.

But yeah, bluespamming would be REALLY irritating. Especially if every shop and trade van you passed sent you a message.
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James, 23 Jun 2007 @ 7:21pm

One word: undiscoverable
I'm not sure if all phones work this way but with mine I can leave the bluetooth on but it only gets messages and functionality with devices that I choose to pair it up with, to all other bluetooth devices its invisible.
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IT2, 23 Jun 2007 @ 7:40pm

US Navy?
Air Force much? I didnt see the navy getting the same honorable mention in the orginal article as you have given it negative credit for...
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Paul`, 23 Jun 2007 @ 7:52pm

Turn it off
Turn it off when you're not using it. Waists battery anyway.
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perogi, 23 Jun 2007 @ 8:40pm

Re: A society of fear
John, I took all of your stuff but brought it back when I felt bad about it. I could have sworn that I did your dishes though...
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perogi, 23 Jun 2007 @ 8:42pm

Re: Remember 'can cause injury can cause injury'?
Doug Stanhope quote: "Maybe we should make all buildings only one story tall and surround them with big fluffy pillows in case someone slips."

Read the warning labels on stuff around your house. The scary part is that someone actually did those things and tried to sue them for their own stupidity...
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2007 @ 9:20pm

I don't know if this is a valid point or not but isn't "bluespamming" illegal, considering its unauthorized access to a private network.
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The Riddler, 24 Jun 2007 @ 9:36am

Re: A society of fear
"One time, I went on vacation for an entire week and in my hurry, I forgot to lock the front door. Guess what? Nothing happened at all- nothing was stolen and the world didn't end. Everything was exactly the way I had left it... including the dishes in the sink."

You didn't leave it unlocked. I unlocked it. And I snapped a full copy of your hard drive, and those interesting photos you keep in your drawer. You know which photos I mean.

If you don't want also the rest of the world to know, contact me, and maybe we'll be able to work something out.
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charlie potatoes, 24 Jun 2007 @ 2:04pm

Re: Opportunist burglars
if... say 50% of the burglars come in through an unlocked door...I assume that 50 % of the burglars come through your locked door. so...what is the difference?
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Justin, 24 Jun 2007 @ 2:54pm

This onlyu proves that America has lost its mind and common sense
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GoblinJuice, 24 Jun 2007 @ 5:12pm

Re: Re: A society of fear
oh noes!!! Not those pictures!!!
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GoblinJuice, 24 Jun 2007 @ 5:13pm

Re: A society of fear
You may want to check out a little show called It Takes a Thief.

The "moving man" method is used a lot on the show, but... eh... I don't know how often it happens in real life.

I mean, hell, if I believed everything I saw on TV.... =)
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GoblinJuice, 24 Jun 2007 @ 5:16pm

Wouldn't this make as much sense as a cop walking up to someone with their wallet sticking out of their back pants pocket and "warning" them about it?

Life has a stupidity tax. Don't be stoopid. ;)
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Anonymous, 24 Jun 2007 @ 6:20pm

Let's have more unsecure protocols
Here's a crazy idea... How about securing the existing protocols (eg add permissions, auth, etc...) instead of continuously creating new ways to clog up the available bandwidth out there?

What was I thinking? Then companies would have no incredibly overpriced cleaning anti-polluting programs to sell us.

Way to go geniuses!
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Bubba, 25 Jun 2007 @ 9:44am

"if... say 50% of the burglars come in through an unlocked door...I assume that 50 % of the burglars come through your locked door. so...what is the difference?"

The difference is in the prior probabilities. If (let's hope) 95% of people lock their doors, but only 50% of burglaries come from locked doors, that would imply that you're 19 times as likely to be burgled through an unlocked door as a locked one.

Naturally those are only example numbers, but you get the point.

The lock serves as a deterrent, similar to alarm systems. Most alarm systems can be defeated. However, the system is reasonably effective until all your neighbors have one. Locks work the same way - if there's an unlocked house and a locked one, the thief will preferentially choose the easier target. So if you have locked doors, a menacing dog, and an alarm system, you're less likely to be burgled if you have neighbors who don't lock their doors, have weak locks, cats, and/or no alarm systems.

As in the old proverb...I don't have to outrun the lion, I just have to out run you. Make sure you always have somewhat better security than your neighbors, and you'll probably be OK.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Jun 2007 @ 2:14pm

If (let's hope) 95% of people lock their doors, but only 50% of burglaries come from locked doors, that would imply that you're 19 times as likely to be burgled through an unlocked door as a locked one.
No, it doesn't. Probability and statistics don't work like that. Using that kind of faulty reasoning I could "prove" that painting some magic symbol above your front door would prevent burglaries.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Jun 2007 @ 7:22pm

Re:
A reminder to secure your stuff (be it house or phone) can only be good
You really think so? OK then, why don't you post your main e-mail address here so that everyone can start sending you periodic reminders to "secure your stuff"? After, it could only do you good!

Yeah, didn't think so.
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darkbhudda, 25 Jun 2007 @ 10:16pm

Thieves love this stuff
London stations have posters which warn people of pickpockets. A lot of people immediately check their wallets when they see that poster. Pickpockets love it, they know where someone's wallet is. Thanks coppers.

Let's see what our enterprising criminals can do with Bluespam.

And for all those thinking it's a good idea, why not carry it further? How about bluespamming everyone with "Don't drink and drive", "don't commit murder", "save water", "save electricity", "look before crossing the street" etc...

Heck, why not bluespam people telling them "nighty night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" while you're at it.

The "moving man" method is used a lot on the show, but... eh... I don't know how often it happens in real life.
Happened to my boss when he moved into his new place a couple of years back. The neighbours were used to removalist vans delivering stuff on the weekend. During the week, when everyone was at work, some more vans turned up and cleaned out the house.

Someone else I know just moved into a new house and had a minor burglary. Since they just moved in and exhausted from moving, they forgot to lock one of the windows and left stuff out. Someone sneaked in and took all the purses on the kitchen table.
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