If you’re looking for all the recent information about robocalls, we are here to tell you!
The closing date for voice companies to deploy the Stir/Shaken technology, which is designed to reduce the number of annoying and expensive robocalls, was 30th June.
After a brief respite during the early months of the pandemic, the problem of annoying robocalls has returned. However, later this year, a new preventative program devised by the Federal Communications Commission — which entered into force this week — may begin to provide some relief.
What are robocalls?
A robocall is a phone call that is made using a computerized autodialer to deliver a pre-recorded message that appears to come from a robot. Robocalls are frequently connected with political and telemarketing phone campaigns, although they can also be used for public service or emergency notifications. To resemble an actual human phone conversation, some robocalls use individualized audio messages. The United States Congress approved laws in 2019 that tightened the rules on robocalls. Robocalls with spoofed numbers aren’t incredibly irritating; they may also be perilous, as they can defraud victims of money or sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers.
According to anti-fraud app company YouMail, an astonishing 4 billion robocalls were called in on people’s telephones in the month of May alone – 12 calls per person on average.
So, what steps are being taken to reduce the number of robocalls you get?
What is the program about?
All significant phone carriers, such as Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, are now required by the FCC to install STIR/SHAKEN in their networks.
The technical protocol via which the SHAKEN element of the system runs is called STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited). SHAKEN stands for “Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs,” and it lays the groundwork for the FCC’s new Robocall Mitigation Database, which will track robocalls.
The “Stir/Shaken” program is a set of regulatory frameworks that mobile carriers must follow to assist combat call “spoofing,” a strategy employed by robocalls to disguise an incoming call that shows to be from your locality code so you’ll be more prone to take it up. The technology verifies the origin of a phone call and ensures that the information on the Caller ID is correct.
What is the latest update?
To prohibit robocalls, wireless operators had until the end of June to adopt call authentication technology. They had to notify the Federal Communications Commission if they adhered to the agency’s rules or face penalties. By the publication of this article, these companies would have already complied with the rule and if not, they would be facing heavy penalties. The FCC regulation is just one step ahead in protecting people’s personal and social security. What that means is that when a call is placed, a carrier can tell if the person on the other end of the line is who they claim they are.
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The FCC ordered cell phone carriers to report whether they comply with the rules under penalty of obstruction of justice in April. Jessica Rosenworcel, the chairwoman and a lawyer who wants cellphone carriers to know she’s serious about enforcing the law. Rosenworcel feels that these steps should have been taken sooner, and she is quick to point the finger at previous chairman Ajit Pai and the Trump administration.
Impact of the new program
The new technology is unlikely to significantly reduce the number of robocalls that consumers receive. This is attributable to several factors. Many major companies have been implementing these techniques for over two years already. Also, some of these robocalls are legal.
