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Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

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Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#171

Post by rsync »

thosakwe wrote: post #126

I would love: Auto-hang up on any call from someone who's number I don't have saved. Just give me a notification immediately thereafter. If it's someone I should know, I'll either have their number saved, or be expecting it. I don't want to be bothered otherwise.

This, and many, many other interesting use-cases is quite simple if you port your number to Twilio and create your own carrier inside their service.

I did this about 18 months ago and love the results. I manipulate and use the telephone network in many useful and interesting ways, all programatically, through twilio.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#172

Post by Rjevski »

VectorLock wrote: post #152

I don't know hardly anything about telephony protocols, SS7, etc but I'm curious how much information carriers know about where information originates. Say I wanted to run a service offering phone numbers that can connect to VOIP or an app, where I connect to the global telephone network. How much information can I get at the lowest protocol level about where a call originates from? Can I tell the system the call cam…

You connect to other carriers directly. Some of them will connect you to other carriers, and so on.

So for example if you’re a small operation you will just connect to one carrier like Twilio or Nexmo and it’s up to them to connect you to everyone else.

When you get bigger you may be able to set up “routes” (that’s how they’re called in the industry) to carriers directly.

So yes, carriers do see where the calls are coming from, however given that it’s commonplace to route your calls through a carrier that has no relationship to the originating number, there’s no easy way to tell whether a number is spoofed or not.

There is a solution which is to respond to complaints and stop interconnecting with a carrier that spews too much garbage, but that would go against the entire industry’s business model so nobody cares to do it.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#173

Post by rsync »

thatswrong0 wrote: post #4

I would love to be able to block all numbers coming from my area code and the first 3 digits of my number.. all my robo calls come from a number that looks just like mine.

"I would love to be able to block all numbers coming from my area code and the first 3 digits of my number."

Very easy with Twilio. As I mentioned elsewhere in this HN thread, I ported my number to Twilio about 18mos ago and use-cases like this are quick and easy to implement.

In fact, I have noticed the same behavior (spam calls coming from the same NPA+prefix as my number) and I might just implement that this evening ...

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#174

Post by Rjevski »

basilgohar wrote: post #165
intopieces wrote: post #139

I’ve completely turned off notifications for the phone. If someone wants to call me, they either need to use FaceTime (which hasn’t been overrun with spam, yet) or schedule a time with me. I also subscribe a call blocker.

How would someone without an Appke device or AppleID get in touch with you realtime? If all friends and family are already part of the Apple ecosystem, then okay for now, but you also would basically be filtering your communications to only people that fit that description in the future, as well.

Signal/Telegram/WhatsApp, which are all cross platform?

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#175

Post by saagarjha »

robmiller wrote: post #13

It's amazing that calendar invitation spam isn't more prevalent. The times it has happened to me have been incredibly infuriating because declining means a response to the spammer and ignoring can leave it on your calendar.

There is a nontrivial amount of effort on Apple’s side going on here to identify and block calendar spammers.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#176

Post by extra88 »

amluto wrote: post #108
ac29 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There already is a proposed technological solution to this: https://transnexus.com/whitepapers/stir-and-shaken-overview/ The FCC has recently "demanded" US telecoms to implement this [0], but at this point I don't believe there is actually a regulatory requirement to do so. [0] https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-354933A1.pdf

I prefer an economic solution. Currently, you can sue a robocaller under the TCPA, but good luck collecting. Make each carrier liable for judgments against robocallers routed through their network. So, if I sue John Doe for robocalling me and I can’t collect, and I’m a Verizon customer, the make Verizon liable for those damages. This should come with some limits, but they should be large (say 10% of nationwide annual…

How is adding a burden to the courts with suits you know will be unfruitful than a simple regulatory requirement that carriers must do what is clearly the righ thing to do?

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#177

Post by dawnerd »

fergbrain wrote: post #154

T-Mobile has a feature that uses the Caller ID to display “Scam Likely”...which is a great stopgap measure and doesn’t cost me extra.

Still doesn't solve the core problem here. The whole screen being taken over. It's super annoying when on a google meet call or similar to have the call essentially cut you off.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#178

Post by coredog64 »

thatswrong0 wrote: post #4

I would love to be able to block all numbers coming from my area code and the first 3 digits of my number.. all my robo calls come from a number that looks just like mine.

The most common scam call I’ve been getting for the last month is my mobile number on the caller ID, saying they are my carrier and that my account has been locked.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#179

Post by ReptileMan »

amluto wrote: post #108
ac29 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There already is a proposed technological solution to this: https://transnexus.com/whitepapers/stir-and-shaken-overview/ The FCC has recently "demanded" US telecoms to implement this [0], but at this point I don't believe there is actually a regulatory requirement to do so. [0] https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-354933A1.pdf

I prefer an economic solution. Currently, you can sue a robocaller under the TCPA, but good luck collecting. Make each carrier liable for judgments against robocallers routed through their network. So, if I sue John Doe for robocalling me and I can’t collect, and I’m a Verizon customer, the make Verizon liable for those damages. This should come with some limits, but they should be large (say 10% of nationwide annual…

We have hard enough time imposing net neutrality. Why do you want to kill it in a place where it exists.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#180

Post by nradov »

tdeck wrote: post #39
awakeasleep wrote: post #14

"At the telelphony-infrastructure level, it’s a supremely difficult problem that lacks a short-term fix because the underlying protocol is hopelessly insecure." This is only partly true. Technologically the solution is difficult, but it's easy from the social side as carriers can blacklist the smaller carriers that allow this fraud to take place. The real problem is that everyone except the consumer benefits from thi…

Why hasn't there been a class action against carriers for failing to do anything about this problem?

Which law or contact term have the carriers broken?
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