The authorities has introduced the formation of a committee to draft guidelines geared 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 considerations 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 stated.
Representatives in committee
The committee contains representatives from varied 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 activity is to draft complete guidelines to deal with the issue successfully. During the assembly, in depth discussions have 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 stated.
Concerns over internet-based calls
In the assembly, considerations have been additionally raised relating to 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 issue of spam messages and pesky calls, notably from registered telemarketers. Telemarketers have been suggested to register their enterprise entities, sender IDs, and SMS templates on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platforms, that are operated by telecom operators and require companies to present detailed data.
Guidelines by TRAI
TRAIÂ has launched new guidelines for the Bulk SMS Service Industry, incorporating Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) as a blockchain-based registration system. This initiative goals to keep clear information of all transactions performed by enterprise entities. The goal behind Trai’s DLT rules is to improve transparency, fight SMS spam, and safeguard shoppers towards 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 stated.
Telemarketers’ position in combating spam calls
It offers subscribers extra management over what variety of calls or texts they need 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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