- Regulatory Enforcement:
- TRAI monitors telecom services, and spam messages are officially called Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC).
- Established the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) register in 2007 to spam block for subscribers.
- Implementation: DND App introduced as the user registration process and reporting the spam.
- Imposed Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR), 2018 to deter telemarketers from misusing DND.
Blockchain in Anti-Spam Measure
- It provides immutability and traceability of information, thus tamper-proof.
- Utilized for maintaining a distributed ledger of registered SMS senders and their message format.
- Features of Blockchain Implementation:
- Sender IDs instead of using random phone numbers for SMS.
- Strengthened in 2024 for better traceability of messages.
Efficacy of Measures
- Less spam communications from the companies that follow the rules.
- More accountability and traceability using blockchain.
- Challenges:
- Changing spamming strategies and increasing scam calls from other countries using VoIP.
Other Government Initiatives
- Sanchar Saathi Portal:
- The Chakshu reporting site for suspected fraudulent calls and messages is featured.
- Telecom Security Operation Centre:
- Real-time monitoring of suspicious internet and telecom traffic.
- Public-Private Partnerships:
- Telcos like Airtel tag international calls and employ AI to identify and mark “Suspected Spam.”
- Future
- Further strengthening in regulations to be enforced by 2025.
- Adoption of AI and Data Analytics:
- Partnering with telcos to identify fraud calls in real time.
- Concentration on International Spam:
- Protocol enhancement to curtail fraudulent VoIP-based international calls.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is a regulatory body set up by the Government of India under section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. It is the regulator of the telecommunications sector in India. It consists of a chairperson and not more than two full-time members and not more than two part-time members. The TRAI Act was amended by an ordinance, effective from 24 January 2000, establishing a Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal to take over the adjudicatory and disputes functions from TRAI.
- Chairperson
- Anil Kumar Lahoti
