Verizon Steps Up Text Spam Suits

[Slimy]

Verizon Wireless said it was continuing to step up efforts to protect its customers from spam on Tuesday, specifically regarding unsolicited text messaging. Over the past four months, the company has filed three lawsuits, all in US District Court in Trenton, N.J.

"These lawsuits are just a small part of our company's efforts to stop unwanted messages from reaching our customers' handsets," general counsel Steve Zipperstein said.

The company has also introduced a feature in its system that would allow its subscribers to change within their settings text message delivery. Users would be able to block text messages sent from the Web, or designate certain addresses to block.

Of the lawsuits, the most recent filed earlier this month deals with 30,000 texts sent promoting certain stocks or medications. Much like their similar e-mail counterparts, the actual message includes text that does not make sense.

In late September, the company filed a lawsuit against a company that sent 550,000 text message promoting penny stocks. Most recipients of the text messages had New York City area codes.

Another case, filed back in June, involved 1.1 million messages mostly sent to Verizon subscribers in New Jersey. Those texts advertised discount prescription medication. The Web site from which they were sent, located in Poland, has since been shut down.

"Verizon Wireless remains committed to defending the strong wall of customer privacy we've built over the years through our network practices and our industry leading pro-consumer policies," Zipperstein added.

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[harrisxml]

Good to hear. People don't want to pay to get stupid ads on their phones. How ballsy does someone have to be to spam people's text messages. It is even illegal to do telemarketing on cellphone numbers. They must be idiots to think that texting would be any different.