TRAI is using a Blockchain based system to curb Spam calls

[TheUltraElite]

The news is not directly related to bitcoin, but to blockchain technology for a change.

A new directive by TRAI to telecom operators. Unregistered telemarketers will have to register with TRAI at first and provide updates too.

They have built a blockchain aka a distributed ledger to maintain the list of spam callers. That is what we had been doing using Truecaller and so on for all these years.

Using this ledger they will prevent spam callers from their bad habits.

Link to the original article : TRAI Directs Indian Telcos to Stop Spam Calls, Blacklist Callers Using Blockchain Technology
 

[pakhitheboss]

The news is not directly related to bitcoin, but to blockchain technology for a change.

A new directive by TRAI to telecom operators. Unregistered telemarketers will have to register with TRAI at first and provide updates too.

They have built a blockchain aka a distributed ledger to maintain the list of spam callers. That is what we had been doing using Truecaller and so on for all these years.

Using this ledger they will prevent spam callers from their bad habits.

Link to the original article : TRAI Directs Indian Telcos to Stop Spam Calls, Blacklist Callers Using Blockchain Technology
 

Spam calls are a big issue in countries like India where we still do not have a privacy law. These spammer or so-called marketing agencies use this loophole to spam users and the worst part is that when you disconnect the call as the Truecaller app shows the number as spam they use a different number again to contact. In most cases, numbers are leaked by banking employees as they are the ones who have phone numbers and are aware of the customer's needs. The need is to have a privacy law in India but I appreciate that TRAI took the initiative and came up with a new feature to counter spam calls. This means that the privacy law that is pending to be implemented would not be coming soon which is not good for anyone in India who feels the need for law to protect his/her privacy.

[Bitcoin Smith]

In most cases, numbers are leaked by banking employees as they are the ones who have phone numbers and are aware of the customer's needs. The need is to have a privacy law in India but I appreciate that TRAI took the initiative and came up with a new feature to counter spam calls.

Not just bank employees, we don't hesitate to give our mobile number to anyone let's say we go for a paid parking there we have to leave our contact number for our bike or car which is mandatory, or we go to shop like electronics there we ask for our name address and contact number for billing so our information is wide available than just banks but I do agree though, the spam callers really target their audience for example I recieve lot of spam calls regarding credit card offers, insurance, personal loan and I assume this is happening cause CRED app is leaking my CIBIL score to everyone.

[pakhitheboss]

Not just bank employees, we don't hesitate to give our mobile number to anyone let's say we go for a paid parking there we have to leave our contact number for our bike or car which is mandatory, or we go to shop like electronics there we ask for our name address and contact number for billing so our information is wide available than just banks but I do agree though, the spam callers really target their audience for example I recieve lot of spam calls regarding credit card offers, insurance, personal loan and I assume this is happening cause CRED app is leaking my CIBIL score to everyone.

I agree that is why I have kept two mobile numbers wherein one is a postpaid connection which I have been using since 2015 and all banking-related services are connected with that number. The other number is a prepaid one which I give when I am asked at a shop or for other matters. Whenever I get a spam call I block them either with my inbuilt phone blocker or true caller. Still, these spammers manage to call me again with their alternate numbers which is pain again as I have to go through the blocking procedure.

[avikz]

Not just bank employees, we don't hesitate to give our mobile number to anyone let's say we go for a paid parking there we have to leave our contact number for our bike or car which is mandatory, or we go to shop like electronics there we ask for our name address and contact number for billing so our information is wide available than just banks but I do agree though, the spam callers really target their audience for example I recieve lot of spam calls regarding credit card offers, insurance, personal loan and I assume this is happening cause CRED app is leaking my CIBIL score to everyone.

I agree that is why I have kept two mobile numbers wherein one is a postpaid connection which I have been using since 2015 and all banking-related services are connected with that number. The other number is a prepaid one which I give when I am asked at a shop or for other matters. Whenever I get a spam call I block them either with my inbuilt phone blocker or true caller. Still, these spammers manage to call me again with their alternate numbers which is pain again as I have to go through the blocking procedure.

Yes, this is also what I follow. I had purchased a separate number in 2019 for banking as my existing number was flooded by spam calls. But unfortunately, even though both of my numbers are DND, I at least receive 4 to 5 spam calls everyday.

There is no resolution to this unless the government becomes strict. Even though the DND registry is here since a long time, no one really follows that. Unfortunately this is how majority of the government services run in India.

[pawanjain]

Yes, this is also what I follow. I had purchased a separate number in 2019 for banking as my existing number was flooded by spam calls. But unfortunately, even though both of my numbers are DND, I at least receive 4 to 5 spam calls everyday.

There is no resolution to this unless the government becomes strict. Even though the DND registry is here since a long time, no one really follows that. Unfortunately this is how majority of the government services run in India.

Does DND actually work ? I had activated DND through my bank because I get so many calls from the bank for loans, creditcards, insurance etc...
It stopped initially for few days but then it started all over again and these days I have just stopped picking their calls.
I have stopped picking any calls that start with the number 1.

[mpoletiek]

I maintain we can tokenize email and eliminate spam. 

[pakhitheboss]

Yes, this is also what I follow. I had purchased a separate number in 2019 for banking as my existing number was flooded by spam calls. But unfortunately, even though both of my numbers are DND, I at least receive 4 to 5 spam calls everyday.

There is no resolution to this unless the government becomes strict. Even though the DND registry is here since a long time, no one really follows that. Unfortunately this is how majority of the government services run in India.

Does DND actually work ? I had activated DND through my bank because I get so many calls from the bank for loans, creditcards, insurance etc...
It stopped initially for few days but then it started all over again and these days I have just stopped picking their calls.
I have stopped picking any calls that start with the number 1.

It works only if you have a postpaid connection which I have for Airtel. Their Airtel app does give the option to block calls and apart from those app Android version 7.0 and after do allow to block numbers. Back in 2016 when version 7.0 was released from that time, we are still getting spam calls and in 2024 TRAI came up with this initiative which is too late as the new versions of Android that are coming might come up with AI which will automatically detect such spam calls and block them.

[JSRAW]

Does DND actually work ? I had activated DND through my bank because I get so many calls from the bank for loans, creditcards, insurance etc...
It stopped initially for few days but then it started all over again and these days I have just stopped picking their calls.
I have stopped picking any calls that start with the number 1.

It works only if you have a postpaid connection which I have for Airtel. Their Airtel app does give the option to block calls and apart from those app Android version 7.0 and after do allow to block numbers. Back in 2016 when version 7.0 was released from that time, we are still getting spam calls and in 2024 TRAI came up with this initiative which is too late as the new versions of Android that are coming might come up with AI which will automatically detect such spam calls and block them.

Not sure if it's primarily restricted to prepaid or postpaid, have used both and faced more or less the same problem with both options. Had an Airtel connection for a while then switched to JIO when it took off. Initially, the latter option was okay but last year or so it got out of hand and I was receiving 10-15 spam calls on average, it drove me nuts. 

Nowadays it's tolerable as I get on average 2-3 spam calls, mind you not including fishy foreign number calls, it's rare tho.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Not sure if it's primarily restricted to prepaid or postpaid, have used both and faced more or less the same problem with both options. Had an Airtel connection for a while then switched to JIO when it took off. Initially, the latter option was okay but last year or so it got out of hand and I was receiving 10-15 spam calls on average, it drove me nuts. 

Nowadays it's tolerable as I get on average 2-3 spam calls, mind you not including fishy foreign number calls, it's rare tho.

Spam calls are everywhere so I guess it doesn't stop for a postpaid user but if we had been careful who and where we share then we can dodge most of them but me using a primary number til now for more than 12 years which means it's exposed a lot so that can explain why I am getting more spam calls than anyone.

[pakhitheboss]

Not sure if it's primarily restricted to prepaid or postpaid, have used both and faced more or less the same problem with both options. Had an Airtel connection for a while then switched to JIO when it took off. Initially, the latter option was okay but last year or so it got out of hand and I was receiving 10-15 spam calls on average, it drove me nuts. 

Nowadays it's tolerable as I get on average 2-3 spam calls, mind you not including fishy foreign number calls, it's rare tho.

Airtel is the worst as I have the postpaid connection, and have activated DND and still, I get spam calls. I have a JIO prepaid and I have not had any spam calls from 2016 on that number which is amazing. When I bought this number the representative asked me while filling out the form whether I wanted a stop to spam calls to which I said yes. From the day I filled out the form and to date, I have never got a spam call on my JIO number but of course, I get bombed by JIO spam messages. 

[TheUltraElite]

-snip-

I have felt the same too, JIO has been loyal on the DND front, but the companies that I have registered with using my number has spam called me for example Health insurance and Finance companies. I always pick them up to confirm its spam and then block them. Eventually they run out of enthusiasm and stop calling.

I hope this blockchain based system by TRAI will have better impact and we can stop using third party apps like Truecaller.

[pakhitheboss]

-snip-

I have felt the same too, JIO has been loyal on the DND front, but the companies that I have registered with using my number has spam called me for example Health insurance and Finance companies. I always pick them up to confirm its spam and then block them. Eventually they run out of enthusiasm and stop calling.

I hope this blockchain based system by TRAI will have better impact and we can stop using third party apps like Truecaller.

Today, I was not able to recharge my JIO prepaid connection and they simply remove my signals..LOL! This is the first time I have experienced such shit.

I preeassumed that it was done due to not able to recharge. But, it wasn't a JIO issue as it was my mobile phone acting strange. The.n later on I found out it is how JIO now punish those who are not recharge a number of JIO.

[JSRAW]

-snip-

I have felt the same too, JIO has been loyal on the DND front, but the companies that I have registered with using my number has spam called me for example Health insurance and Finance companies. I always pick them up to confirm its spam and then block them. Eventually they run out of enthusiasm and stop calling.

I hope this blockchain based system by TRAI will have better impact and we can stop using third party apps like Truecaller.

In regards to DND, overall JIO is good but it did go nuts last year or so. The majority of my family owns a JIO connection and almost everyone mentioned more or less the same thing to me.

Today, I was not able to recharge my JIO prepaid connection and they simply remove my signals..LOL! This is the first time I have experienced such shit.

I preeassumed that it was done due to not able to recharge. But, it wasn't a JIO issue as it was my mobile phone acting strange. The.n later on I found out it is how JIO now punish those who are not recharge a number of JIO.

This sounds odd to me.

I have an extra JIO number and stopped recharging once I switched to JIO. In the last 6-7 years only recharged it 10-15 times at best and I use that number for in-coming only, never experienced this issue due to recharge or something.