Apple iMessage: A hotbed of spam text messages?

iMessage was once considered the cleanest way to communicate, but more and more Apple users have reported an influx of spam messages in iMessage.

A Shanghai resident reported to the reporter of China Business News that his iPhone has been receiving iMessage spam messages such as "Going to Macau to gamble" and "Issuing invoices on behalf of others" for several consecutive days. "They were all sent from email addresses."

A survey by the Shanghai Consumer Council in October showed that 23% of the city’s spam text messages came from Apple’s iMessage service.

In recent years, my country has stepped up its efforts to combat spam text messages, which can be punished by criminal penalties. However, as a new form of communication, there is no regulation of communication tools such as iMessage, and Apple products themselves have not been able to effectively prevent the proliferation of spam text messages.

iMessage has become a profit-making tool favored by the gray advertising industry chain. Some users who are overwhelmed and have no other options have been forced to turn off the service, which has deviated from the original intention of Apple to launch the iMessage service. But for now, Apple seems to be helpless.

Our reporter contacted Apple for interview on this matter. As of press time, Apple has not yet responded.

iMessage is being marketed

iMessage is a real-time communication tool integrated into Apple devices. It transmits information through WiFi and mobile networks. iMessage is combined with the traditional SMS interface. When Apple users send messages to each other, iMessage can be set as the default service to send messages instead of traditional SMS.

Currently, iMessage supports sending text, pictures, voice, video and other information, and has certain "WeChat" functions.

iMessage was once considered a secure way for Apple users to communicate. According to Apple's official statement, iMessages uses end-to-end encryption, and even Apple itself cannot obtain the content of user communications. After its release in 2011, iMessage has been supported by "Apple fans". At the 2014 shareholders' meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the number of messages sent through iMessages reached "tens of billions" every day.

However, our reporter noticed that although iMessage has built a security barrier for communication content, it seems unable to withstand the impact of the surging spam messages. Two years ago, iMessage was considered "insulated" from spam messages, but now the underground advertising business based on iMessage has developed into an industrial chain, and its severity even exceeds that of traditional SMS. Some users claim that in serious cases, they receive multiple iMessage spam ads every day.

Experts from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have pointed out that in the iMessage mass messaging industry, a complete spam information profit chain has been formed, including advertising information production, push equipment manufacturing and sales, user account collection and organization, spam information push, push volume calculation and charging, and each link has gathered enterprises, service providers and agents of a certain scale.

The reporter learned from a business called "Apple Push" that it has tens of millions of Apple mobile phone users in the country, and can push up to 10 million product information every day, with a delivery rate of up to 100%. If the minimum charge for each message is 3 cents, the business's daily turnover may be as high as hundreds of thousands of yuan. The business also claimed

Its software can scan the Apple devices in use to obtain user information, which can also be easily obtained by operators and domestic and foreign communication companies. At present, such underground businesses operating iMessage group messaging services are emerging in an endless stream.

Nothing to do?

Apple has not sat idly by and allowed iMessage to be "polluted", but it seems that there is currently no better solution.

The reporter learned that Apple launched a blacklist function to intercept text messages and iMessages sent by designated users, and later added an iMessage spam reporting function.

However, if the sending address is changed, Apple's blacklist function will be invalidated, which is a common tactic used by spammers. The reporting function launched by Apple has a cumbersome process of providing evidence, and users cannot deal with the endless stream of "troublemakers" who change their addresses through a single report.

Users can also install third-party security software to block iMessage spam, but this requires jailbreaking the Apple device, which is not an option for mainstream Apple users.

In fact, the traditional spam information marketing industry chain has always existed, and my country has imposed legal sanctions on the creators of such information: in October this year, the Tianjin "550,000 spam text messages" case was sentenced, and two defendants who used "fake base stations" to send spam text messages were sentenced to two years in prison for "damaging public telecommunications facilities."

However, the senders of iMessage spam are not currently held accountable. The crackdown on traditional spam text messages has further promoted the transfer of this gray industry to iMessage.

"The country has already enacted law on sending commercial messages without the recipient's permission, and recently issued a draft implementation plan. This issue may require legislation to resolve." Lin Hua, legal director of Hujiang.com, said in an interview with reporters that the senders of spam text messages should be held accountable first. At the same time, short message service providers also have the responsibility to take all possible measures to prevent spam.

"Apple is a company that has a huge influence on consumers. As for the spam text messages generated in iMessage, consumers should pay attention to whether the measures taken by Apple match its influence and technical capabilities. If Apple has fulfilled its responsibilities, it should hold individual senders accountable. If Apple only takes superficial measures, Apple should also bear more responsibility for this," said Lin Hua.

It is understood that following the release of the "Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Strengthening Network Information Protection", the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will continue to launch the "Regulations on the Management of Communication Short Message Services". At present, the "Regulations" have been publicly solicited for opinions.

The draft of the above-mentioned "Regulations" shows that no organization or individual may send commercial short messages to the recipient without the recipient's consent or request. If the recipient agrees and then clearly refuses to receive short messages, the short message service provider should stop sending them. At the same time, short message service providers should establish a short message management system and early warning monitoring mechanism to prevent commercial short messages from being sent without the user's consent or request.

The above-mentioned "Regulations" bind both short message service providers and content providers. Service providers that violate the regulations may be subject to suspension of network resource support.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.