You know you're a marketing whore when...

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...you set up a system running Bluetooth by the front window of your store that is configured to automatically push your vCard onto any Bluetooth device passing by.

I've been keeping track of stats and over 30 people have walked past the front of my store today with PDAs or cell phones capable of being "pushed". Guess this means that I'm a dirty spammer now.

 

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nice system.... you could sell that shite and make a mint

 

Ive just patented the 'off' button

 

Kinamax USB Bluetooth wireless dongle: $10.00
Piece-o-crap system it's plugged into: $0.00 (found poking out of garbage can)
Look on customer's face when their cell phone gets raped passing my store: Priceless.

 

You can remove that vCard from their phone... for a price.

Oh man, that's just wrong.

 

LOL @ BLuetoof

Last year when I was with Da Po-Leece I was tasked with investigating making a business case to overturn the nationwide policy for police forces (no Blutetooth, anytime, anywhere)

Turns out that there are just too many hurdles to overcome to make it truly secure (or secure enough to satisfy the government policy nerds at GCHQ). I only ever turn Bluetooth on when I'm uploading something to my phone - I never have it on wandering around.

 

Ok, now that is funny!


But on the flip side of the coin. Are you not worried about turning people off of your new bussiness by spamming them?

 

I agree. That could be a side effect.

 

Don't worry about them. They're only jealous.

The next step is to set up a relay station (if possible) on the street corners. After that incorporate a signal booster to cover the whole neighborhood.

 

I read an article about a year or so ago about bluetooth and its security failings. The article mentioned a "bluetooth sniper" as I recall, that could detect a bluetooth device a mile away - or so they claimed.

Anyhows, part of the article was a guy who was a known hacker sitting in a shopping centre (or Mall as they called it) with a laptop and a reporter to see what he could do. Apparently (as I recall) this hacker got access to like 20 or 30 mobile phones in about an hour from peeps just walking past. He didn’t actually do anything but the opportunity to deal some real damage to ordinary peep's phones was quite scary. Needless to say, blue tooth is always switched off on any devices I own unless it's needed

 

Nope. The only reason I can push a card onto their device in the first place is because it is configured to accept object pushing. If I have the front door of my store unlocked and the OPEN sign turned on, I have no business bitching when customers walk in. Same principle so far as I'm concerned.

Besides, it appeals to the bastard in me.

 

To me it feels more like some rented guys trying to lure people into a bar or nightclub.
This practise is seen in (I believe) Spain.

 

Ok, and I still think it is funny. However, beware of nugget he will get you in trouble. I can't afford to bail out 2 of you!

 

You do that to me, and I'll guarantee you that you will never see a penny of business from me, and I'll badmouth you from here to eternity. As far as I'm concerned you're just giving your store a needless black eye in terms of PR. It's a stupid stunt and it's bound to anger far more people than anything else it does.

 

Actually it would draw me into his store, if for nothing else then to find out how he got my number to send me a text. Depending on how he handle the situation would depend on my frame of mind when I left the store. Q has a way about him. Some how I think I would leave the store more enlighten then mad.

 

So then WHY are you walking around with a feature designed expressly for this purpose enabled on your Bluetooth device?

This is how the service works:

1. The Bluetooth devices detect each other
2. The devices query each other as to available services
3. My device detects that Object Push is enabled on your device
4. My device checks to see if you've selected that you will accept vCards
5. If you've enabled vCards, my device sends you one

In other words, I *am* asking for permission to send you my card and you're responding that you give me permission, except that the process is automated. To anyone who has a problem with this, I'd be happy to help you configure your Bluetooth device so that this won't happen in the future if you don't know how to yourself.

For a fee, of course.

 

Earlier you said you compared this to your place of business having the door unlocked and an enter sign up. I would consider it to be an inadvertently unlocked door to my home and you just twisted the door knob, found it unlocked, and walked into my home unannounced. I consider it an invasion of my privacy and a form of spam. It tells me you have very little respect for me or my privacy, and I'd never do business with you just because of your lack of manners and respect for others.

 

Yeah but freddy, after q explain how it works, that is not an invansion of anyone privacy if their phone is opening the door and telling it to come in. He is not hacking his way in there.

 

Mitz,

How many people do you know that are technologically just plain old dumb, and wouldn't have any idea that they have left something like this open? This is the same as saying, well, you left a vulnerability in the web site you created so I should take advantage of that, deface your site and spam you. What's more, you're responsible for my actions because you were dumb enough to leave the vulnerability. Or, you left your door unlocked, so it's an invitation to me to walk in and steal you blind. You deserve to get ripped off because you left your door open so the fault is yours not mine that I ripped you off.

It's a very slippery ethical slope to set your feet on when you start walking down this type of moral path.