AI Will Now Be Used To Curb Unsolicited Commercial Communications

On June 13, 2023, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) instructed all access providers to make use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) based detection systems to track down and take action against senders of commercial communication who are not registered with the access providers for the purpose of telemarketing. The Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 describes such senders as Unregistered Telemarketers (UTM).

According to the direction, such detection systems should be adopted which can evolve constantly to be able to tackle the new techniques used by UTMs to send Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). It must also detect UTMs which send such communications in bulk and don’t adhere to the regulations. Further, the system should be able to do a reputation-based analysis of the senders considering the calling or SMS sending patterns, age of subscription, address verification method, etc. and share intelligence with other access providers using the DLP platform.

These communications not only cause a nuisance to the public but also result in financial loss in instances where sensitive information is procured from customers through fraudulent links. In light of this, TRAI has taken several steps in the past to deal with UCC including the implementation of a UCC detect system. However, it is observed that the unregistered telemarketers run a transformative operation and change their tactics on a routine basis to escape these detection systems. To meet these challenges, it has been decided to adopt artificial intelligence and machine learning-based detection systems.

The access providers are required to adhere to TRAI’s directions and submit compliance reports within 30 days.