Trai asks telcos to use distributed ledger tech to control the flow of commercial communication on their networks
The telecom regulator has asked operators to adopt blockchain
technology to ensure only registered telemarketers have access to phone
databases and that user consent to receive such communication is explicitly
recorded.
The regulator has asked telecom service
providers to use the distributed ledger technology to control the flow of
commercial communication on their networks in its Telecom Commercial
Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018. The rules were made public
on Thursday.
A distributed ledger, or Blockchain,
is essentially a collection of records where every person who accesses it also
has a copy. But participants have to agree to make a change in the database.
Since blockchain secures information
cryptographically through the use of ‘keys’ and signatures to control who can
do what within the shared ledger, only registered telemarketers will be able to
discharge certain functions.
Last September, Trai had issued a
consultation paper seeking comments on how to create a system for registering
telemarketers and making the complaint redressal system better.
This
was prompted by the fact that spam calls persisted despite restrictions on
telemarketers as people aren’t aware of the implications of sharing numbers and
the absence of a robust mechanism to record consent.
Blockchain can effectively create a
signature or a hash of an asset and instead of transmitting that entire digital
asset, in this case the phone number, you can only put the hash on that
database which can be accessed by the registered telemarketer. It will be like
a virtual token of that digital asset. Blockchain can secure this database but
in this case security is also needed at the point of origin of the data and
before it is stored on the ledger i.e. ensuring that there is no leakage at the
end of the telecom service provider generating the number.
The rules issued by the regulator
state that companies that want to communicate with interested users have to
confirm their identity through a header registered in their name.
In case the access provider fails to
curb unsolicited commercial communication, there would be a penalty of as much
as ₹50 lakh per month.
Unscrupulous telemarketers often
override the stated preference of the subscriber by claiming consent that may
have been surreptitiously obtained.
Under the new rules, access providers
must now provide facility to digitally record and revoke consent of the
subscribers.
The telecom industry, however, is
worried that there has been no cost-benefit analysis of this regulation at a
time when the industry is facing financial stress.
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