Anatel took a new step in the fight against abusive telemarketing. In addition to extending for another year the injunction that blocks users who make short calls, the agency announced the implementation of a protocol based on the technology STIR/SHAKEN to display on the smartphone screen which company is calling.
The implementation of the protocol will allow the user to verify the authenticity of telemarketing calls. The user who receives a call from an opting company will be able to see the name of the company that is calling, including the logo and even the subject of the call.
The agency confirmed that the protocol is based on STIR/SHAKEN, an international standard adopted by countries such as the United States and Canada. According to Gustavo Santana Borges, Superintendent of Control of Obligations at Anatel, the standard should be adapted for Brazil due to the complexity of the national telephone system.
The new protocol can even remember identifying applications such as Whoscall or Truecaller. However, STIR/SHAKEN works natively, with no need to install anything on your smartphone or look for the number on the Qual Empresa Me Ligou website. In addition, there is greater security in identification, based on cryptography and tokens managed by an operational and governance structure.
At least at the beginning, the adoption of the identification protocol will be optional and the service will be offered by the operators themselves to the call centers. To encourage the use of the resource, companies that make identified calls to cell phones will be exempt from using the 0303 prefix.
Nothing changes for calls to landlines, which do not support Enhanced Identification. For these numbers, the 0303 is still mandatory for telemarketing calls.
Anatel expects that first connections with the authentication and identification protocol are carried out in 2023. The agency highlighted the complexity of implementing the technology, which will be monitored by the agency’s superintendence.
New protocol improves security in call identification
One of the main advantages of using a protocol like STIR/SHAKEN is the ease of certifying the origin of a call.
In addition to improving identification, the technology has an extra layer of control over the origin of the call, avoiding the practice of spoofing, when the number appearing in the device bin is tampered with. Authentication improves security for the user, who will know exactly which company he is talking to.
According to Anatel, the call center industry itself suggested the implementation of the protocol based on the discussions that took place on abusive telemarketing.
The agency also hopes that the technology will increase the effectiveness of the calls, since the user will be more likely to answer a call if he knows the originator instead of ignoring an unknown number.
Anatel reiterates that the technology will not generate costs for end users of mobile telephony, but for call centers, as the technology requires investment by operators. Even so, the agency hopes that the cost will be offset by the greater number of effective calls.
In addition to announcing the authentication protocol, Anatel released the results of the precautionary measure against automatic short calls. As of June 2022, 63 billion robocalls ceased to be carried out. This means that each Brazilian stopped receiving around 300 abusive telemarketing calls.
The precautionary measure blocked 564 users who failed to comply with the precautionary measure, that is, who made more than 100,000 short calls per day. Of the total, 116 companies signed terms of commitment, but 20 of these companies received sanctions for non-compliance with the agreement.
Anatel also opened four lawsuits against companies that circumvented the criteria established in the injunction. According to the agency, the companies started to use operators that were not contemplated by the decision-making orders.
In addition to announcing the extension of the measures to block short calls, Anatel also announced the expansion of the criteria for all fixed and mobile telephony operators. Previously, only 26 providers were monitored. The validity for other companies starts from June 1, 2023.
Companies that fail to comply with the rules against short calls may be sanctioned with fines that can reach R$ 50 million, in addition to having their telephone service suspended.
