1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,760 Speaker 1: All right, the government's announced an easy way for technology 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,359 Speaker 1: companies to report scams directly to the Department of Internal Affairs. 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: It means why mobile phone report junk on scam text messages, 4 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: It will be reported straight to the department. Danowebers Earlier 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,760 Speaker 1: is the founder and chiefing technology officer of Rush Digital. Hello, Dan, 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: welcome to the show. You what's this? What's this new kit? 7 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, so I think you know a little bit of background. 8 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 2: You know, on New Zealanders it was about two hundred 9 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 2: million dollars a year and that's a rising number to 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 2: scams and online scams are a big part of that. 11 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: And I think we've all probably received some form of 12 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 2: fishing text where you know, there's an unpaid poll or 13 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 2: some something, some claim about your bank and a link 14 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 2: to a dodgy u URL that, unfortunately a lot of 15 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 2: people do click on. Recently, private enterprise like Apple and Google, 16 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 2: the guys that provide all our cell phones, as well 17 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 2: as sort of a connectivity company like Sparking one is it. 18 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 2: They've all kind of realized that we all have to 19 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 2: work together to solve this problem because it's fairly complicated. 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 2: And what this new feature does means that when I 21 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 2: use a symbol user identifies one of these scam texts, 22 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 2: they can easily report that as spamm to through their 23 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 2: phone and it goes for central database and the ISPs 24 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 2: like one who's ed in Spark, as well as the 25 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 2: iPhone makers and a whole bunch of other government agencies 26 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 2: get access to that information and they can do things 27 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:40,839 Speaker 2: like block text messages that have the same information from 28 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 2: continuing to go out. So it's kind of crowdsourcing this 29 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 2: information to protect others. 30 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: So you just basically have a pressure button on your 31 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: phone and boom, everybody gets to know, from the depund 32 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: of Internal Affairs to your phone provider to everybody. 33 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, it basically gets an info analysis and if it's 34 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 2: you know, effectively there's a bunch of these and yeah, 35 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 2: they can be blocked. It's a really easy thing to do. 36 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 2: So now I think on iOS or Apple devices you 37 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 2: just sort of delete delete a message from an unknown 38 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 2: sender and it kind of brings up the option do 39 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 2: you want to report this as junk? And that's it's 40 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 2: as simple as that for you. 41 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: And do you think it will make a big difference. 42 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, Australia is implemented a really proactive approach with 43 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 2: a sort of a department for the National Anti scam 44 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 2: or Anti crimps, online Crime Ministry or whatever. And you know, 45 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,839 Speaker 2: in about a year this kind of approach has has 46 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 2: has seen to you know, reduce the reduce the success 47 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 2: of these things quite considerably. It's a pretty good strategy, right, 48 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: Like you get two or three of these things to 49 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 2: users that you know are suspicious, and the next couple 50 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 2: of thousand are completely blocked. Right, So it's a it's 51 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 2: a pretty good approach, and I'm really happy it's happening. 52 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 2: Actually it's a bit late, to be honest. 53 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, everything's a bit like Dan, I thank you 54 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: for waking up earlier. Merry Christmas to you. 55 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live 56 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 2: to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays, or 57 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.