Getting More Robocalls and Texts? Why Even More Could Be Coming
Could something that happened with little fanfare in Washington, D.C. last week soon have Americans more frustrated with unwanted texts and calls on their cell phones?
Last week, U.S. Supreme Court justices voted 9-0 in favor of Facebook in a lawsuit brought against the company six years ago, regarding unsolicited text messages the company had sent.
Facebook argued the texts didn't violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The court agreed. According to Reuters, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Facebook because the texts "did not fit within the technical definition of the type of conduct barred by the law."
I'm not saying the ruling was wrong or right, but what's concerning is that we're basing court cases involving cell phones and texts on The Telephone Consumer Protection Act. It was signed into law in 1991. 1991. You know, when Hypertext reports 7 million Americans owned cell phones. Pew Research says, as of the summer of 2019, 96 percent of Americans now have a cell. Oh, and Mobivity says the first text message wasn't even sent until the end of 1992.
The prosecution lawyer in the case against Facebook, Sergei Lemberg, told Reuters:
This is a disappointing ruling for anyone who owns a cellphone or values their privacy.
Let's hope he's wrong but, either way, it's time for D.C. to take a long hard look at the 30-year-old law. I don't need any more unsolicited calls to buy my house or update my vehicle's warranty coverage, or texts that I've won this really awesome prize.