Mike Butcher - mbites

1 word - illegal. Actually 2 more... scum bags.

Using Bluetooth in this manner is not illegal Paul - this use is not to be confused with "bluejacking" (which is harmless) and "bluesnarfing" (more serious and IS an offense in some countries). Using Bluetooth as a mass communication tool is becoming more prevalent, and used properly can be very effective. I like the ideas of the Police using it for these purposes - the communication can only take place over a max 100 meters or so, so could be very effective in a localized situation. Imagine if the police could have distributed a picture of Maddie McCann to every phone within a certain radius of the abduction. Far more powerful, and portable, than posters and notices. Like email, using bluetooth in an effective manner such as this is a effective tool. Misusing it, as in spam email, will get it a bad name.

Actually, the way they're doing it is not illegal as far as I understand it. The process they're using is exactly the same as if someone sent you a random bluetooth message on a train, or pub or wherever as this is peer-to-peer messaging. I think the data protection aspect of the law around bluetooth only kicks in when you're using a bulk messaging system. Otherwise all random bluetooth messaging would be illegal. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing they're doing as it's focussed on theft hotspots. There's a police officer close by actually sending you the message so if there was any trouble, you could go and find them. This seems to me about raising awareness in the local community about community issues and helping people be aware of what's going on. If you're a visitor in the area, you may not realise you're in a theft hotspot for example. And if it means they reach people they wouldn't normally be able to reach, with key crime prevention messages, then that has to be for the greater good I'd have thought?

All good points Helen, you have brought some aspects of this I hadn't thought about...