Facebook ‘Happy Birthday’ lawsuit rolls on

Your mobile company doesn't need to sell the number..

It's possible to harvest phone numbers without buying them.

You set up a computer with some sort of telecoms system (be it Modem, VOIP or whatever). This system is running software that picks from a list of known exchanges. It starts dialling numbers on that exchange. If the number comes up unobtainable, it logs the number as dead. If the number comes up as enganged, or just rings, it gets logged as an active number and may be dialled later. As soon as someone answers, the computer puts the call through to a human. It also logs the number as being active, Initially, the system dials a lot of numbers (potentially millions), but as the list is built up, they can cut the number of calls. This is actually how email spam works, but they start out sending billions of emails.

The spammer, once they have generated a list of active (or potentially active) numbers, will sell it on to other spammers.

I don't know for sure if the spammers do that, but I suspect they do. The phone companies may well have equipment in place to detect it, but there are probably ways around that, especially if you fake your caller ID..

Deleted your FB account?

Are you mad? Well, that will stop you getting into the USA in future. Apparently the want ALL your Social Media account details. Only those with something to hide don't have these accounts.

Oh wait.... Bummer that includes me. I eschew Facebook, Twitter and all those other crap sites.

I'd better think again about trying to attend by Grandsons Wedding in San Diego later this year.

Boo, down with Trumper.

:) :)

Brickman received texts from Facebook says that it's ("friend") John Doe's birthday, encouraging him to send a happy birthday message to him.

The suit is arguing that it's telemarketing (encouraging Facebook use, rather than just information about _his_ account) and that he never gave permission to use the number for telemarketing purposes.

Are you still getting notifications, though?

I wonder if they'd like to expand that class action to include people they've kicked out of their accounts with demands of 'proof of identity' that seem to change frequently, that might eventually be reviewed and, if FB likes you, you might, possibly, eventually get control of the account back. However, they're still sending out notifications of the activities of friends, which can't be stopped as you can't log into the account to stop it, because you've been locked out while they're waiting for you to provide photographs of driving licences, passports, birth/marriage certificates, bank cards, check books and so on (yes, they're all on the list of documents they'll accept as 'proof', as long as they get a matching photo, name as is displayed on the account and date of birth, even if it takes several documents to do so, and each document has to match on name at least...)...

Re: Really??

@AC

Doesn't matter. If you have a friend or business associate who is on face book and has your contact info, FB has it.

Dicks.

Re: can't open pandora's box on spamming

some spamming entity will 'friend' a zillion people, and next thing you know, that automated spamming happy birthday message becomes a vector for getting away with spam-vertisements.

Or more likely.. malvertsing... "Congratulations... send me 2 bitcoins or your data is history"......