Mobile Industry Review - Latest Comments in Using SMS for the greater good!

Re: Using SMS for the greater good!

Daniel Butler — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:39:47 -0000

Ah my confusion, sorry :)

Although i would agree with Alex, i would also like to hear more about the HIV SMS

Kassan

Re: Using SMS for the greater good!

Jason Harris — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:32:28 -0000

I completely agree. I just wrote a post this weekend at ReadWriteWeb regarding Africa and social efforts going on there that utilize SMS and PCM messages for the greater good.

There are two parts, I'll link below.

www.readwriteweb.com/archives/africans_and_thei...

www.readwriteweb.com/archives/africans_and_thei...

The posts are also posted at my blog, techcraver.com

Re: Using SMS for the greater good!

SMSblack — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:26:42 -0000

Hi Samantha, I wrote about this here: http://smsisthenewblack.wordpress.com/2008/10/2...

Re: Using SMS for the greater good!

Alex — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:17:46 -0000

Kassan, I think Chlamydia testing is offered to everyone in "at risk" demographics, rather than people who are known to have it. Presumably the hospital has got hold of Samantha's address somehow, so they could get her mobile number from the same source. My GP surgery sends SMS reminders for appointments, although they haven't offered me any STI tests yet.

Samantha, how about some more coverage of the African HIV SMS?

Re: Using SMS for the greater good!

Daniel Butler — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:26:23 -0000

Hi Samantha,

Well yes it would be good but under current DPA laws unless you specifical allow it then your personal information cannot be shared, Indeed if a doctor gave (For example) information informing a Treatment company that you had, oh i dont know, Crabs? then they are in clear violation of DPA and can be sued, This is coming a common ocurance, the amount of younger (Below 21) people are sueing over trivial matters. It could potential do more harm than good.

Now i do agree that it is a very good idea, but there are large issues to get around before anything like this could be implamented, I perticularly like the idea of texting your Postcode to recive information extra now that would work amazingly if a company could indeed implament it.

Now comes the issue though of how you would get the adverts sent to you in the first place? you would still need to fill in pages and pages of information before this services could be implamented.

Regards
Kassan