Modi govt forms committee to draft guidelines to address issue of unsolicited calls, spam messages

"To address the issue of pesky/promotional or unsolicited commercial calls received by the consumers, the Department of Consumer Affairs has constituted a

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The authorities has introduced the formation of a committee to draft pointers aimed toward tackling the issue of pesky, promotional, or unsolicited calls obtained by shoppers, which infringe upon their privateness rights. Earlier on Wednesday (February 14), the choice was made throughout a gathering chaired by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, specializing in addressing issues associated to such calls.

“To address the issue of pesky/promotional or unsolicited commercial calls received by the consumers, the Department of Consumer Affairs has constituted a Committee,” an official assertion mentioned.

Representatives in committee

The committee includes representatives from numerous sectors together with the mobile business, regulatory our bodies such because the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Reserve Bank of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irdai), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and the Cellular Operations Association of India (COAI).

Their process is to draft complete pointers to deal with the difficulty successfully. During the assembly, in depth discussions had been held on issues pertaining to pesky, promotional, and unsolicited business calls. “It was observed that these calls not only violate the privacy of users but also the rights of the consumers. Most of such calls are from the financial services sector followed by real estate,” the assertion mentioned.

Concerns over internet-based calls

In the assembly, issues had been additionally raised concerning the shift of spam callers in the direction of internet-based calls, notably by means of platforms like WhatsApp, to entice people into Ponzi schemes, crypto investments, and false job affords.

Efforts have been underway by the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to fight the difficulty of spam messages and pesky calls, notably from registered telemarketers. Telemarketers have been suggested to register their business entities, sender IDs, and SMS templates on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platforms, that are operated by telecom operators and require companies to offer detailed data.

Guidelines by TRAI

TRAI has launched new pointers for the Bulk SMS Service Industry, incorporating Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) as a blockchain-based registration system. This initiative goals to keep up clear data of all transactions carried out by business entities. The goal behind Trai’s DLT laws is to reinforce transparency, fight SMS spam, and safeguard shoppers in opposition to fraudulent actions.

“During the meeting, it was observed all the Telemarketers from various sectors viz banking and financial services, real estate, e-commerce platforms and other commercial entities have already been advised to get 140 number series prefixed to their phone number so that a consumer can identify the caller,” the assertion mentioned.

Telemarketers’ position in combating spam calls

It offers subscribers extra management over what sort of calls or texts they wish to obtain. Various unregistered telemarketers don’t comply with these provisions. It was emphasised within the assembly that every one telemarketers ought to guarantee strict compliance with these enabling provisions. The assembly was attended by representatives from the DoT, Trai, COAI, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Vodafone, Airtel and Reliance.

(With PTI inputs)

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Source: www.indiatvnews.com

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