phone spam

I changed my mobile recently and so feel a little "left out" on this.

I found this in the Datat Protection website, some of which may be relevant. Their email is: info@dataprivacy.ie

Dealing with Unwanted or Unsolicited Direct Marketing

S.I. 535 of 2003 has specific provisions on marketing using phone, fax, SMS or e-mail. If an individual is not already the customer of a data controller then he cannot receive marketing by fax, e-mail, SMS or an automated dialling machine unless he has given prior consent to this marketing.

If the data controller uses manually assisted telephone calls for marketing then he must give individuals the right to object to future marketing by this means and he must respect a recorded objection to such calls in the National Directory Database (NDD). The NDD will allow individuals to record their objection to all telephone marketing. To record this objection you should contact your telecoms provider. (This facility will not be available until early 2004.)

If you are a customer of the data controller then he can send you marketing material by e-mail or SMS but he must give you the right to object to future marketing of this nature at collection of the data and with each message sent.

Seems straightforward enough - unless you gave them permission to contact you, then they are in breach of the law. Be sure before you complain though!

Ah, The Jealous arise! :evil:

spculleton wrote: or subscribe to a shite magazine.*

Shane

Oh, so you get "Orbit" then?

Seriously A&S is a good magazine. It provides a very good sky diary, up to date news stories and features, including one about World cup Football (June 2002 issue pages 31-33, remember that?) and I find it very offensive to have it referred to as a "Shite Magazine"!

I know some people have problems with AI and a FEW have problems with DM but so what? Is there any sense in this continuing?

The phone spam that you refer to was a test, imagine if it could be used for Aurora alerts and the like. Would you still complain then? Probably, since you had not thought of it first!

In a previous post you mentiond that you had missed an astronomy event in a nearby county because it was not listed in the A&S magazine. The reason it was'nt is that we were NOT INFORMED ABOUT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS TO THE ORGANISERS!!!

I've spoken to DM about some of the other complaints that have arose on these pages and he and the Managment Committee of A.I. are looking at and discussing them.

I could go on all night replying to these regular rants :roll: but I have a life!

Finally remember it took a Kerry Man to bring Laois senior football team up to a decent level!

Spaceboy

Spaceboy, illegally spaming people as a "test" is even more discusting than illegally spaming people for finanical gains!

This thread is not about A&S magazine or its quality (I like A&S mag and am a subscriber).

I am a computer scientist, I have seen email be utterly crippeled by spam. Right now about 70% of all email winging its way through the net is spam. Spam is literally clogging the arteries of the internet and spoiling it for everyone. To see the same happen to the GSM network and to my voice mail would be a discrace.

DM is an educated man, he should know better than to degrade his subscribers by spamming them. The wording of the Data Protection act is also very clear DM should now realise that he broke the law and that he should not do that again. I have not given my concent to have my details used to spam me and have explicitly asked that my number be removed from all AI lists so if he spamms me again I will take action against Astronomy Ireland/Astronomy & Space Ltd..

AI & DM are not above the law!

I don't think that I am being un-reasonable to object strongly to being spammed. This has nothing to do with any splits in Irish astronomy but with simple legalities!

Bart B.

The phone spam that you refer to was a test, imagine if it could be used for Aurora alerts and the like. Would you still complain then? Probably, since you had not thought of it first!

Check the archives for discussions that we have had on the past on the topic of automated aurora alerts, actually it may be on the old mailing list since it was so long ago. Its not only been thought of but the feasbility of a couple of implementations was investigated. If you just want aurora alerts sign up to www.aurorachasers.com/ and redirect it to your o2/vodafone mail. Its been done already, feel free to put a link to that in A&S so your subscribers can sign up.

Cheers,
~Al

If you just want aurora alerts sign up to www.aurorachasers.com/ and redirect it to your o2/vodafone mail. Its been done already, feel free to put a link to that in A&S so your subscribers can sign up.

You've got it all wrong. Offering A&S subscribers a free service isn't the way to do it. The way to do it is get the info off that site, and put it on a 1550 number.

When will you people learn that this astronomy lark is all about turning a profit!!! :roll: