COVID Vaccine !

[Julia9054]

The NHS has sent out blanket text messages to all eligible in the hope that any who haven’t had will come forward.
yes, some who have had will receive a text but I guess they didn’t want to rely on all records being 100% accurate as we know that some admin errors will have occurred.

Everyone in my house (already boosted) got that text today except me!

 

[Buck]

Texts are sent out in batches (sometimes by NHS number not address!). So not everyone gets them at the same time.
There are many millions of texts being sent out this week.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

I've had one too and from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/get-boosted-now-text-message-to-go-out-from-boxing-day--2
It seems that the message is not based on vaccine records or lack of records.

• In partnership with UK phone networks, the UK Government will send out SMS texts on Boxing Day urging people to get a booster

Seems to suggest not the government sending a file with the phone numbers to be texted but just send to all phones. Given that the number of texts sent daily in the UK is over 200 million, targeted texts would not seem to require any special treatment.

If this is the case I wonder if we will see a super complaint to the ICO for the sending of what is clearly marketing material without any opt out option and it appears also any opt in either.

According to the ICO site Please note that our helpline and live chat services are closed for the festive period. We will re-open on 4 January 2022 at 9am. and Regulators apply their authority within the larger social and economic situation.

It is not really credible to me to say that many people who have mobile phones will not be aware of the booster programme, so this is not genuine new information it is pure marketing.

I have to wonder what your "90 year old granny" who is not aware of this plan is going to make of getting a surprise text saying that they need a booster.

Bye

Ian

 

[Alex321]

If this is the case I wonder if we will see a super complaint to the ICO for the sending of what is clearly marketing material without any opt out option and it appears also any opt in either.

We will see nothing because it doesn't come particularly close to fitting the definitions.

I have no idea why you believe it to be "clearly marketing material", when it is (to me) clearly no such thing.

 

[Buck]

The NHS / Government are able to transmit these messages under emergency regulations “in the interest of the country” (my words).
Opt in is not a requirement.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

We will see nothing because it doesn't come particularly close to fitting the definitions.

I have no idea why you believe it to be "clearly marketing material", when it is (to me) clearly no such thing.

The NHS / Government are able to transmit these messages under emergency regulations “in the interest of the country” (my words).
Opt in is not a requirement.

It fits the category of marketing material as

• The first paragraph on https://www.gov.uk/government/news/get-boosted-now-text-message-to-go-out-from-boxing-day--2 clearly says so. As part of the national Get Boosted Now campaign to protect against Omicron, a text will be sent out from Boxing Day reminding people to get jabbed.
  • Remember that boosters are entirely optional.
• It appears to be targeted at everyone regardless of whether or not they have had their booster, information that is readily available to the NHS. It is true that the NHS may not know that a particular mobile is tied to a particular patient for whom they have a record, but that is their problem and they do know that some mobile phone numbers are tied to people who have had boosters.
• It contains no information that a person who has a mobile phone is not likely to be already aware of, it is simply an encouragement to an action.
• It is not an emergency by any sensible definition, I truly don't believe that there are many people capable of receiving these texts that are not aware of the option to receive a booster, so the only purpose can be to nag those who are obeying the law but not doing what the government wants.

I would accept that it is not marketing material if

• The majority, or possibly a significant number, of people were unaware of the option to have a booster.
• It was a legal requirement and it was targeted at those who had not complied.

IF you don't believe that it is marketing material what do you believe that it is, it is clearly not

• New information to any but a very, very, very tiny portion of mobile phone users.
• A reminder for an appointment that the recipient had arranged
• A reminder to arrange an appointment as it has been sent to everyone including those not eligible for an appointment including
  • This who are not in the time window, having either recently had a booster or 1st or 2nd dose
  • Those for whom a vaccine is inappropriate for medical reasons
  • Those who have chosen not to have an original vaccine or a booster
• Something else

Most bad things start of with something not bad, the whole spam regulations came into being because the original idea of collecting customer email addresses and occasionally sending customers genuinely useful information became bombard and accept 1 in 1,000 finding it useful.

There was no new information in these texts, it was spam.

For clarity I have had 2 Moderna and 1 Pfizer booster but am fully supportive of I choose not to have one brigade. COVID seems to have changed into a religion, whatever you do in its name is okay and anyone who suggests otherwise is a disbeliever who should be burnt at the stake.

Bye

Ian

 

[newfhouse]

Of all the things to get upset about around the pandemic response, receiving an occasional SMS isn’t one of them. Get a grip.

 

[Mo1959]

For clarity I have had 2 Moderna and 1 Pfizer booster but am fully supportive of I choose not to have one brigade. COVID seems to have changed into a religion, whatever you do in its name is okay and anyone who suggests otherwise is a disbeliever who should be burnt at the stake.

Unless someone has been living as a hermit with no contact with the outside world it seems a bit daft to me. Will the government be paying all the mobile firms for this do you think?

 

[Buck]

@IanSmithCSE

the overall response to the Covid pandemic has emergency legislation attached to it and within this it gives the ability to communicate without consent. This is what is being used here.
The act of promoting the booster campaign itself is not an emergency but is contained within the overall legislation which enables this.

ETA :https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/emergency-powers

 

[fossyant]

It is not really credible to me to say that many people who have mobile phones will not be aware of the booster programme, so this is not genuine new information it is pure marketing.

Take your stupid conspiracy theories somewhere else FFS.

 

[classic33]

Good morning,


It fits the category of marketing material as

• The first paragraph on https://www.gov.uk/government/news/get-boosted-now-text-message-to-go-out-from-boxing-day--2 clearly says so. As part of the national Get Boosted Now campaign to protect against Omicron, a text will be sent out from Boxing Day reminding people to get jabbed.
  • Remember that boosters are entirely optional.
• It appears to be targeted at everyone regardless of whether or not they have had their booster, information that is readily available to the NHS. It is true that the NHS may not know that a particular mobile is tied to a particular patient for whom they have a record, but that is their problem and they do know that some mobile phone numbers are tied to people who have had boosters.
• It contains no information that a person who has a mobile phone is not likely to be already aware of, it is simply an encouragement to an action.
• It is not an emergency by any sensible definition, I truly don't believe that there are many people capable of receiving these texts that are not aware of the option to receive a booster, so the only purpose can be to nag those who are obeying the law but not doing what the government wants.

I would accept that it is not marketing material if

• The majority, or possibly a significant number, of people were unaware of the option to have a booster.
• It was a legal requirement and it was targeted at those who had not complied.

IF you don't believe that it is marketing material what do you believe that it is, it is clearly not

• New information to any but a very, very, very tiny portion of mobile phone users.
• A reminder for an appointment that the recipient had arranged
• A reminder to arrange an appointment as it has been sent to everyone including those not eligible for an appointment including
  • This who are not in the time window, having either recently had a booster or 1st or 2nd dose
  • Those for whom a vaccine is inappropriate for medical reasons
  • Those who have chosen not to have an original vaccine or a booster
• Something else

Most bad things start of with something not bad, the whole spam regulations came into being because the original idea of collecting customer email addresses and occasionally sending customers genuinely useful information became bombard and accept 1 in 1,000 finding it useful.

There was no new information in these texts, it was spam.

For clarity I have had 2 Moderna and 1 Pfizer booster but am fully supportive of I choose not to have one brigade. COVID seems to have changed into a religion, whatever you do in its name is okay and anyone who suggests otherwise is a disbeliever who should be burnt at the stake.

Bye

Ian

Marketing means having something to sell, what are they selling?

 

[Alex321]

Good morning,


It fits the category of marketing material as

No it doesn't.

Nothing you have added has anything to do with "marketing".

• The first paragraph on https://www.gov.uk/government/news/get-boosted-now-text-message-to-go-out-from-boxing-day--2 clearly says so. As part of the national Get Boosted Now campaign to protect against Omicron, a text will be sent out from Boxing Day reminding people to get jabbed.
  • Remember that boosters are entirely optional.
• It appears to be targeted at everyone regardless of whether or not they have had their booster, information that is readily available to the NHS. It is true that the NHS may not know that a particular mobile is tied to a particular patient for whom they have a record, but that is their problem and they do know that some mobile phone numbers are tied to people who have had boosters.
• It contains no information that a person who has a mobile phone is not likely to be already aware of, it is simply an encouragement to an action.
• It is not an emergency by any sensible definition, I truly don't believe that there are many people capable of receiving these texts that are not aware of the option to receive a booster, so the only purpose can be to nag those who are obeying the law but not doing what the government wants.

All perfectly correct, but nothing to do with marketing.

I would accept that it is not marketing material if

• The majority, or possibly a significant number, of people were unaware of the option to have a booster.
• It was a legal requirement and it was targeted at those who had not complied.

IF you don't believe that it is marketing material what do you believe that it is,

Public Information. Delivered by SMS rather than TV broadcast.

You can believe it to be "marketing" all you like, but there is no chance whagsoever the ICO will agree.

 

[Alex321]

Take your stupid conspiracy theories somewhere else FFS.

While I disagre completely with what be is saying, it isn't in any way a "conspiracy theory".

 

[Mo1959]

Take your stupid conspiracy theories somewhere else FFS.

Why is every comment that remotely criticises the vaccine a conspiracy theory? Get a grip.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Why is every comment that remotely criticises the vaccine a conspiracy theory? Get a grip.

I think @fossyant was joking there.
I got the text too: for a targeted "marketing" campaign it seems to me a bit unprofessional, like Ian said, spam like.
Yes, I was already treble jabbed when I got the text.
Of course, like said upthread, it's legal for the government to send out such messages: in this case, I feel the campaign makes the government look desperate for everybody to have the booster.
Could be the booster is really the answer to the latest Coronavirus variant, or could be that the government has so many vaccines going out of date, may as well use them?
I have accepted any jab that's come my way because, every rare time I'm not well (maybe once in a decade), it has always had to do with my respiratory apparatus.