IT looks like there’s no foolproof solution in sight to address the misuse of SMS.

One would have thought that with the mandatory ruling which stipulates that all prepaid mobile phone users need to register with their service provider a few years ago, SMS misuse would be a thing of the past. After all, the move was aimed at assisting authorities in tracing culprits responsible for abusive calls and keeping SMS abuse in check.

But recent news reports of threats sent through SMS in the run-up to the Umno party elections show that the so-called SMS abuse “culture” is very much alive and kicking. There are still many people who thrive on inflicting misery on others while hiding behind the cloak of anonymity of SMS services.

As no police report has been lodged, the culprit(s) who sent the SMS threats will never be caught. This is unfortunate because a lodged report would enable the long arm of the law to be mobilised, and those responsible to be duly charged.

Of course, sending SMS threats is just one form of messaging abuse. There are others such as SMS spam, “smishing” (SMS phishing) attacks and mobile malware (namely, viruses and worms).

But all these have one common effect – they invade one’s personal privacy and cause hardship.

To address SMS misuse more effectively, the relevant authorities need to make more effort to deter the perpetrators. More so, when the mobile phone has become a tool not only for communications, but for storing critical data and conducting business transactions. So, more needs to be done to protect users’ privacy and personal data.

Stricter enforcement and heavier penalties would send a strong message to those who dare to break the rule, that they can run but cannot hide.