The problem is that a calendar app in a smartphone is synchronised with Google calendar, which means the schedule in Google calendar is automatically saved to their smartphones. So called ‘Google calendar spam’ is based on ‘Schedule sharing via email.’ Spammer(a spam sender) adds a schedule on a particular date and time, sends an email invitation to Google users randomly, and then that schedule is automatically added to their Google calendars. Spam using Google calendar is also a problem. ◇ ‘Google Calendar Spam’ that is synchronised with Smart phone is brimming. The system is expected to be adopted from early next year. For this reason, mobile carriers and KISA have been developing a system that is able to block image spams. This is why an advert version of spam written ‘Sign up for fast internet and get 500,000 won’ has drastically increased. Image spams in particular has been increasing because a spam block function doesn’t limit image files. If there are 200-300 reports of messages from one number, we quickly block the number or investigate. Heyong-woo Choo, the team leader of spam action at KISA(the Korea Internet Security Agency), said “Ever since mobile carriers allowed for infinite messaging, a lot more spam has been sent through mobile phones rather than through computers. The majority of spam consists of gambling adverts (4.3 million), followed by loan, chauffeur service, joining phone contracts, and adult adverts. By July, about 9.8 million spam messages have been reported. This year the number is expected to be similar to last year or slightly lower. In 2010, there were 70 million reports, 32 million reports in 2012, and 21 million reports in 2013. ◇ About 98 million spam messages have been reported through July and image spam that isn’t filtered by an anti-spam app has increased.Ĭompared to this, the number of spam reports have been decreasing annually. When I really need to use the app, I download, use it, and delete it. Now I feel relaxed after deleting my messenger app. Choi (a worker, 40 years old) said “It was so stressful to hear unnecessary alarms. Thus, there are many cases where people completely delete their mobile messenger app. When people get spam like weekly event adverts from department stores or other companies, the only way to deal with them is to block them one by one. People blocked as spam can still message you and spam you with different accounts(numbers). The situation is the same in a normal message. However, the block setting only works for one game, and the blocked person can invite anyone to another game. There’s a solution– people can ‘block’ a game invitation. To block an anonymous game invitation, people can change the game message setting to ‘receive only from friends.’ As complaints have flooded in, the setting has recently been changed again to ‘one message per month, per game’ or ‘limit to 20 game invites a day.’ This has helped reduce the number of game invitations, but Kakao users who have thousands of friends still feel it is a burden. When a new game comes out or is getting popular, people start being bombarded with game invitations. However, if a person isn’t interested in games at all, the message is just spam. A game invitation is a chance to get items if a person enjoys playing a mobile game. All this can happen because KakaoTalk’s ‘Add friends automatically function’ adds all the people saved in the phone as Kakao friends. Many people have received spam from strangers or a game invitation from their friends. KakaoTalk, one of the most popular mobile messengers, is easily exposed to spam. However, information offered unilaterally without a user’s consent, including adverts etc can be regarded as spam. Spam is an ambiguous term that’s difficult to define. Spam via mobile messengers has become especially aggressive.
Mobile companies have adopted a basic spam blocking system, and users also download additional apps to block spam, but people still get over 3-4 messages a day. ‘Spam’ is still a nuisance on a mobile phone. Are game invitations and notices also regarded as spam? Now she is happy because she’s not bothered by all the alarms from department store and open market adverts every Friday morning. A game invitation alarm made her upset but she couldn’t block that person, especially if he was someone at work. She feels liberated from the ‘katok’ sound in the early dawn and the late evening. At first it was awkward for her because she has a habit of regularly checking Kakao, however she is getting used to it as time goes by. This is called mobile smishing.Ī worker Y(34, female) has recently deleted ‘KakaoTalk’, a mobile messenger application. If people click the link in the message, a malignant program is downloaded automatically.