TRAI has implemented new rules from today i.e. October 1 to ban fake calls and messages. With the implementation of the new rules of the telecom regulator, mobile users will not receive messages and marketing calls containing URLs. The telecom regulator was scheduled to implement this rule on September 1, 2024, but it was extended by 30 days on the demand of telecom operators and other stakeholders.
After the implementation of the new rule, any entity or telemarketer will have to whitelist the URL to send it in commercial marketing messages. Also, messages will be sent to mobile users as per a fixed template. Messages from entities that have not whitelisted themselves will not reach mobile users. It will be blocked at the network level itself.
Relief to millions of mobile users
Stakeholders and many telemarketers had sought time from the regulator to completely follow these guidelines of TRAI. However, the regulator has clarified that the entity has been given sufficient time. In such a situation, reports were coming out that after the implementation of the new rule, users may face difficulty in making online payments, because they will not receive the OTP sent by the bank. According to the report of ET Telecom, TRAI has given exemption to the bank in the whitelisting process.
According to the report, banks are not required to whitelist the dynamic part of their commercial messages i.e. URL. They should verify only the static part of their commercial message. Some entities have still not whitelisted the information, while many have completed the whitelisting process.
What is whitelisting?
Whitelisting a commercial message by an entity means that before sending the message, all the information present in it such as details of URL, OTT link, APK etc. should be provided to the telecom operators. After this, feed the information to the blockchain based DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform of the telecom operator. If the information provided by the entity matches, the message will be passed and can be sent to the user. At the same time, if the message is not passed through this platform, then the telecom operator will block it. In such a situation, that message will not reach the user.
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