Security News > 2022 > November > Blockchain couldn't stop TXT spam in India, regulator now trying AI

India's Telecom Regulatory Authority has announced a fresh crackdown on TXT spam - this time using artificial intelligence, after a previous blockchain-powered effort delivered mixed results.

The TRAI's approach to managing spam - or Unsolicited Commercial Communication as it prefers to describe it - saw the regulator create a mandatory register of telemarketers and telecoms service providers, and require them to secure opt-ins from message recipients.

"These steps include: implementation of UCC detect system, provision of Digital Consent Acquisition, intelligent scrubbing of the Headers & Message templates, using AI & ML(Machine Language), etc.," the regulator announced.

The TRAI has also formed a "Joint Committee of Regulators" that will see it join with India's Reserve Bank, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, and Securities & Exchanges Board of India to tackle the financial harm caused by UCC. Hundreds of millions of spam messages reach Indian residents every day, with scammers targeting SMS, messaging services such as WhatsApp, and voice services.

Plenty of spam TXTs and calls also originate in India - or appear to do so - and pop up outside the nation as a contact from someone with a +91 prefix on their phone number.

Estimates of the proceeds of scams delivered using spam TXTs and calls regularly reach multiple billions.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/11/29/india_txt_spam_crackdown/