Before messaging apps like WeChat became popular, text messaging used to be a major way to connect with friends and family. Although we received a few advertisements from time to time, the inboxes were not dominated by marketing messages.

In response to the proliferation of marketing messages during the shopping festival, Beijing Evening News, Southern Metropolis Daily and other media conducted a survey. Some consumers said though they had unsubscribed from those pestering companies, they were still bothered by over 10 unwanted massages every day.

Also, some companies sent them five or more similar advertisements in succession under the names of different e-commerce platforms. Marketing texts have become a torment for consumers, who are asking the authorities to pay attention to this issue with effective regulations on advertising messages.

The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests says operators should not call consumers for marketing purposes or send commercial messages to their e-mails without their consent. However, in practice, we rarely see vendors asking for people's permission.

On the contrary, operators take advantage of the disclosure of personal data to make illegal profit. Telecom service providers and market regulators should take countermeasures to standardize marketing actions and ensure advertising messages do not violate people's privacy. The authorities should punish the companies that violate rules to protect the legitimate rights and interests of mobile phone users.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in China Youth Daily on November 13 

(Print Edition Title: New Mobile Phone Virus)