Legal notices coming to a cell phone near you?
12/26/2005 10:08:51 AM, by Ken "Caesar" Fisher
South Koreans love their cell phones, so much so that more than three quarters of the population is armed with the devices. The near-ubiquity of mobile communications in South Korea has officials planning something rather novel: sending legal notifications to citizens via SMS for users who want it. Normally governments are among the last to embrace new methods of official notification, but it seems in South Korea that everyone wants to get the word as soon as possible. "Hey everybody, I've just been indicted!"
"Most people in South Korea have mobile phones and since the notices don't reach them immediately by regular mail, this is a more definite way for the individuals to know they have received a legal notice," Lee Young-pyo, an administrative official, said.
The service is being offered as an option to those who have entered the judicial system for one reason or another. The hope is that the prosecutor's office will save more than US$150,000 per year by offering the service.
Not only can SMS cut down on paper usage and dependency on snail mail, but it's also fast and convenient. Stateside, SMS sees usage in a number of venues, but my favorite had to be flight status notification. With all of the traveling to and fro at this time of year, I've been party to more than one conversation about how SMS updates were saving the hides of many passengers, and better yet, keeping them informed well in advance of the general public. Two stories I've heard recently relate to delays. In one instance, a colleague learned that his flight had been cancelled, while sitting on the plane, 5 whole minutes before the pilot even announced it. A similar occurrence happened to a friend who learned of a gate change and a delay via SMS while standing at the check-in counter. In both instances, SMS messaging informed folks far in advance of the average Joe.
I could get into the whole strange thing in Europe where people go to the pubs and SMS each other, but that's just too odd to contemplate at this hour of the day. "Hey girls, let's all go out and text each other, brilliant!"
But indictment notices? I suppose in today's litigious world, early notification could be seen as an advantage. But the real question is, who will "text" Dr. Woo Suk Hwang and let him know that his study was indeed found to be a sham? H4N FAKR!
So long as the world of SMS notifications remain one in which you opt-into, then this seems like a a good developmental trend. What are your favorite uses for SMS, aside from being a substitute for normal conversation?