Bluetooth sex messages on trains?
In April, Bena Roberts was on the Stansted Express at 6am heading into central London for a work event. She was rushing and heard the insistent bleeping on her phone.
She finally picked it up. Noticed it was a bluetooth message, but thought nothing of it. Her bluetooth is always on - she works in the mobile phone industry and is used to being sent random stuff.
She accepted the message. It opened instantly - to an obscene text. She looked around the carriage filled with men and felt deeply uncomfortable. Read more on her blog.
We're taking a look at toothing, as it's known, and it's partner activity - bluejacking. Drop us a line if this has happened to you or someone you know.
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Comments
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Two thoughts:
1) this is a problem with men rather than bluetooth;
2) it's certainly not a genteel message - but obscene?
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Hi Sid - comments noted.
Take your point that 'obscene' perhaps a bit strong for this particular message. Have been hearing about some pretty unpleasant stuff.
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I'm with Sid.
I'd also add: the massage was pretty pathetic and immature
But if it was sent by one of the fellow passengers in her carriage, quite threatening, possibly.
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Indeed, Frances_O - pathetic, immature, unpleasant, unwelcome, offensive, rude ... but I think we should save 'obscene' for things that are ... well, obscene.
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I have no sympathy for Bena. She should simply turn off bluetooth or go invisible. I regularly blujack people when I'm in a crowded place (although I dont send obscene msgs). I simply make contacts with weird names such as "ru2gay2play2day?" and send it to anyone who is in reasonable sending distance. Its harmless.
Kev
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It is quite simple to adjust the Bluetooth settings on a phone and make your mobile 'hidden' rather than 'visible to all' perhaps users could read the instructions carefully!
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I am only 45 and have owned a mobile since 1993 , but even after reading the wikipedia definitions of bluetooth and bluejacking , I am non the wiser as to what these terms mean. Sorry to sound like a fogy , but do we really need all this stuff ?
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Hi Stewart. In reply to your post about whether we need all this stuff, the answer is you do if need to be in communication. I ocassionally use bluetooth as a means of accessing the internet via my mobile phone. Its also used between a mobile and a bluetooth headset. Or sometimes in a trucks as a bluetooth phone device which is fitted into the cab where any driver can use it to connect to their phone.
Bluejacking is the *abuse* of the bluetooth services built into a phone.
Hope this helps.
Kev
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