Stories
TRAI Pushes for AI to Stop Spam and Seeks Legal Powers Over Call Apps
- •TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti stated that the regulator is seeking legal powers to take action against non-compliant call-management applications.
- •TRAI mandates that official 1600 and 140 series numbers should not be flagged as spam via crowdsourced systems to prevent users from missing important calls.
- •Major telecom operators are deploying AI-based systems to analyze calling patterns and detect suspected spam callers.
- •TRAI recommends the implementation of Calling Name Presentation to display KYC-registered names for unknown numbers.
- •The regulator continues to encourage consumers to report unwanted calls using the DND app to strengthen enforcement against spammers.
Key Questions Answered
TRAI mandates that designated number series like the 1600 series for BFSI service calls and the 140 series for regulated promotional calls should not be flagged as spam via crowdsourcing. TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti noted that doing so risks causing important or genuine calls to be received with a spam flag by subscribers who need them.
TRAI is seeking legal powers under the Information Technology Act to act against call-management applications that do not comply with spam regulations. The matter is currently under consideration by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, though TRAI hopes constructive dialogue will resolve the issue without requiring legal action.
All three major telecom service providers are deploying AI-based systems that analyze calling patterns and other behavioral parameters of spammers to detect potential spam. These systems allow operators to warn subscribers that an incoming call might be suspicious.
