Truecaller warns TRAI whitelist rules cause 51 million daily spam calls
Truecaller isn't happy with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)'s existing requirement to whitelist 140- and 160-series calls, as well as its attempt to gain formal authority to regulate caller ID apps.
The telecom regulator wants all promo and banking calls to use special 140- and 160-series numbers, which Truecaller would have to whitelist.
But after following these rules, Truecaller noticed a huge jump in spam, over 51 million daily unanswered calls from these numbers.
CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala says the move is actually making spam worse for everyone.
Truecaller rolls out 'Frequently Blocked' badge
To fight the surge in spam, Truecaller rolled out a "Frequently Blocked" badge for numbers users block a lot, even though TRAI wasn't thrilled about it.
Now, TRAI wants official power to oversee apps like Truecaller, but the company argues this could just lead to more spam and less trust.
As Jhunjhunwala puts it, Truecaller has been a shield for millions, including those most vulnerable.