TRAI’s New AI Spam Shield: How India Is Using Artificial Intelligence to Stop Unwanted Calls
When you receive calls from your phone, asking you about taking loans, buying insurances, properties or selling something dubious on a daily basis, telecom regulator is now adopting a technology-based solution to the problem.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has been constantly updating its guidelines regarding the detection of Unsolicited Commercial Communication, otherwise known as UCC, with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to detect suspicious calls. TRAI has also been pursuing those unregistered users who are making calls and has lately issued some directives to discontinue telecom services used for spam calls.
What makes a difference in this case is the transition of spam-fighting from complaint-driven to pre-detection based approach.
Why TRAI Is Turning to AI for Spam Calls
Spam filters generally tend to rely on figures, predefined protocols, and established patterns. However, the fact is that fraudsters as well as unregistered telemarketers can easily change their phone numbers, patterns of call, and so forth.
TRAI itself had issued directions to access service providers as early as 2023 to implement systems based on artificial intelligence as well as machine learning for the detection of unregistered communications carried out through unique calling code.
This approach by the regulatory body aims at institutionalizing this capacity. AI can analyze behavioral patterns in telecoms network and pick out irregular calling patterns that may be indicative of mass unsolicited calling. This is critical since spam callers often make calls using multiple numbers.
What Counts as a Spam or UCC Call?
According to TRAI, Unsolicited Commercial Communications is any commercial message or voice call that has been received by the customer without their consent or outside their registered preferences.
This implies that not all commercial calls constitute spam. Such messages or calls can be legitimate since the customers have provided the required consent or registered for such a category of communication.
The customers also have the option of blocking all commercial communications or blocking communications of categories such as banking and financial products, real estate, education, health, consumer goods, and entertainment and tourism.
How the New AI-Based Detection Works
In the case of AI technology, the emphasis is on the behavior and not just on the numbers.
The suspicious caller might make unusual numbers of calls or continuously call large numbers of recipients through auto-dialers and other features that may come with robot calls.
TRAI has a system that clearly specifies how the misuse of robotic calls, auto-dialers, pre-recorded announcements, SIM farm and SIM box operations can be detected through technological methods.
Use of AI and machine learning technology has also been suggested to be used to proactively detect UCC.
This simply means that there is no need for the number to be blocked by a thousand users before it is taken note of.
Why Unregistered Telemarketers Are the Biggest Problem
The challenge faced by the regulators is the increasing problem of unregistered telemarketing agencies known as UTMs.
They are organizations that employ regular 10-digit mobile phone numbers or any other telecommunication resources for sending business messages but do not conform to the stipulated process of registration.
As per TRAI, there is a requirement for artificial intelligence based systems due to the fact that such operators keep changing their methodology. As such, telecom operators have been asked to make available intelligence on the matter using the Distributed Ledger Technology platform.
What Happens to People Who Keep Making Spam Calls?
This punitive action is not only restricted to cautioning the user base.
The TRAI has been instructing the telecom service providers to impose legal action on those who send unsolicited messages but are not registered. As per the new steps taken by the regulator, the telecom resources of unregistered senders making spam calls will be disconnected and they will be put on the blacklist under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018.
It is important because this action goes further than tagging the call as spam.
In case the sender violates any of the regulations, the telecom resources being used for this illegal purpose can be disconnected.
Will This Stop Every Spam Call?
Not really.
While AI can definitely add a new level of sophistication to spam detection, it cannot provide a fool-proof solution that would ensure that no spam call remains unnoticed.
Scammers can continue changing their pattern of behavior, choosing a new number and manipulating the call flow or simply switching to another mode of communication.
This is why the approach suggested by TRAI involves using multiple tools for the purpose.
What Does This Mean for Your Phone?
The key benefit to the common mobile user will be the reduction in the number of unsolicited commercial calls that reach them.
The system works to ensure that the telecom network becomes proactive in detecting suspicious activities as compared to relying on complaints from consumers on every single number.
Consumers have an important part to play too. In case a suspicious commercial call gets through, the TRAI gives consumers the opportunity to file complaints about UCC using 1909 which can be done through calls, SMS, IVRS, certified mobile applications and web-based options.
Consumers can also register their commercial communication preferences through the DND/NCPR system via 1909, SMS 1909 or TRAI DND application.
Why AI Could Change the Spam-Fighting Game
The most significant distinguishing factor between conventional spam control and the use of AI for spam detection is pattern recognition on a massive scale.
Think of thousands of calls being made by different numbers, which behave in the same manner. Conventional spam control would consider them as different telephone numbers. An AI-based system could potentially recognize the pattern amongst them.
This would be helpful in fighting against organized spamming systems which purposefully divide their activities across different telephone numbers in order to escape being detected.
The framework proposed by TRAI also includes ways of recognizing senders who distribute their activities across multiple telephone numbers, apart from suspicious automated calls and other types of mass communications.
What You Should Do If Spam Still Reaches You
Consumers should not provide one-time passwords, banking credentials, card details or any sensitive data through unsolicited calls, even if the caller is pretending to be from the bank, telecommunication company or government entity.
In case it is an unsolicited and commercial communication, filing the complaint through TRAI would be helpful in gathering intelligence against persistent spamming.
This process of making complaints involves providing details like the mode of communication, name and contact of the sender, time and date of the call/message along with its category and description.
Conclusion
The increasing use of AI and machine learning by TRAI is a major shift in the way that spam calls are tackled in India.
As opposed to depending entirely on consumers to flag down any spam numbers, telecom operators are now being equipped with the ability to detect any such suspicious activity on their own.
The idea is simple enough – detect spam early, analyze how spam changes and share information among networks.
This would eventually lead to less spam calls for the mobile consumer.
The next time you receive a suspicious call from a telemarketer, it might have been detected by AI itself and the TRAI wants to make sure that the network learns more than the spammer does.
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