Constant, Harassing Robo Calls & Texts

Homeland Security
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Constant phone calls, texts and spam promoting business loans, car warranties, Google sales, etc. it is harassment on a daily basis. “Do Not Call/Text” registration does nothing to stop relentless communications. Please consider helping prevent these attacks. Fine the entities that sell our personal information.

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:raised_hands:t2::raised_hands:t2::raised_hands:t2: YES! It’s over the top and such a violation!

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As a telecom engineer, I’ve been following the rise of robocalling for more than a decade. The current “Do Not Call/Do Not Text” lists lack an enforcement for violations, and it is suspected that some of the worst actors are using those list as a validated good list to call from - something that should not be possible.

The government has been involved, and there’s an authentication system being required of the telephone companies that is supposed to validate legitimate operators, while blocking fraudsters (the kind that use fake caller ID). There is also an enforcement mechanism for non-conformers.

The problem lies in that the Government has starved the resources at the FCC and FTC (the two agencies with jurisdiction), as well as at the prosecutors at the DOJ that are needed to go after these bad actors. So while some of the worst of the worst have been taken down, they can’t stop all of them (and with many operating outside the US jurisdiction, it also means the State Department has to get involved to pressure other countries to intercede).

Bottom line, here’s what needs to happen.

  • Give the “Do Not Call/Do Not Text” list teeth that violators can be prosecuted - and anyone caught using those lists as a basis for generating calls should face severe penalties (up to and including jail time, not just financial penalties).
  • Move resources at the FCC and FTC to increase their ability to investigate violations of the “Do Not Call/Do Not Text” as well as STIRR/SHAKEN (the authentication system I mentioned earlier).
  • Increase the number of prosecution resources at the DOJ to pursue the violators referred to them by the FCC and FTC.
  • Make clear with the State Department that diplomatic pressure should be put on foreign governments to deal with the sources of these calls outside the Untied States.
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