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FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

docs.fcc.gov

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Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#51

Post by zszugyi »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #15
0xff00ffee wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After 15 years of cell phone spam, anything that shows up as a number on my personal phone, and not a contact, is reflexively ignored. I don't think I'll ever shake this habit: if it is important, they will leave a message.

I'm struggling with the decision of whether to automatically block anyone not in my contact list and leave a message in my voicemail explaining why. Don't want to be unfriendly, but it's only getting more ridiculous.

I did try it for a bit, but it was annoying when Uber drivers and delivery people were trying to reach me.

Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#52

Post by JumpCrisscross »

hirundo wrote: post #36

90% of my phone calls are from the same outfit informing me that this is my last chance to renew the extended warranty on my car. Based on my call history that recording is officially my best friend. And a very forgiving one given that it has been my last chance hundreds of times over the past several years. I hope this regulation won't interfere with our relationship.

> the same outfit informing me that this is my last chance to renew the extended warranty on my car

I get this too. Which is great, my being a New Yorker who hasn’t had a driver’s license for close to a decade.

Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#54

Post by Florin_Andrei »

Negitivefrags wrote: post #31

Why is this problem unique to the USA? I'm not saying I never get spam calls, but I certainly have to scroll back quite a bit in my phone call history to see the last one. Also, on the rare occasion I do get a spam call it's always from some random international country like South Sudan or Oman that I would never expect a phone call from. What makes this problem uniquely hard to solve for the USA as opposed to anywhe…

> Why is this problem unique to the USA?

It's the price we have to pay for Freedom (TM).

Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#55

Post by Elv13 »

throwaway894345 wrote: post #39
devonbleak wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Embedded corporate interests and lobbies fighting against solutions because it'll cost them money to implement or lower their revenue once implemented. The usual.

What solutions does Europe, etc have that the US doesn't? Genuine question.

* Not directly related to SPIT (phone SPAM), but one is https://www.wired.com/story/sim-swap-fix-carriers-banks/ .

* Carrier maintainer blacklists and other tools have also been used by providers for a long time.

* My provider, Voip.ms, enforces a provenance whitelist by default. This block all SPIT calls coming from unspoofed caller ids. That may not sound like a lot, but yes, many of those calls are just random poeple picking their phone or mobile apps using the real phone number. Having regulation to track internal sources of SPIT (and enforcing it) helps too.

* In Canada, you can subscribe to a non-telemarketing list. That doesn't help for scammer, but it helps for unsolicited ads, political spam and private surveys. This works when enforced with actual penalties for all parties involved.

Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#56

Post by floatingatoll »

Negitivefrags wrote: post #31

Why is this problem unique to the USA? I'm not saying I never get spam calls, but I certainly have to scroll back quite a bit in my phone call history to see the last one. Also, on the rare occasion I do get a spam call it's always from some random international country like South Sudan or Oman that I would never expect a phone call from. What makes this problem uniquely hard to solve for the USA as opposed to anywhe…

Prior to the quarantine, I was getting 5-10 per day.

The USA's implementation of caller ID does not require telephone providers to verify that the caller ID provided to them is real (prior to this order).

It also lacks the regulatory structure to "trace" (prosecute/fine) calls through the various interlocking copper, cellular, and internet telephony networks, even when each provider in the chain has data.

It also lacks the legal experience in knowing how (and the political will) to prosecute an individual who dials random phone numbers with an app on a cell phone using a prepaid SIM card and conferences whoever they're calling into a spam line to disguise the spam line's phone number.

Finally, our regulatory system is captive to politicians who depend critically on spam calls for political purposes, and continue to fight to have those calls exempt, making it vastly more difficult to stop all robocalls because some are legal and others aren't.

Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#57

Post by robert_foss »

Negitivefrags wrote: post #31

Why is this problem unique to the USA? I'm not saying I never get spam calls, but I certainly have to scroll back quite a bit in my phone call history to see the last one. Also, on the rare occasion I do get a spam call it's always from some random international country like South Sudan or Oman that I would never expect a phone call from. What makes this problem uniquely hard to solve for the USA as opposed to anywhe…

In Sweden telephone operators can be forbidden from let spam categorized numbers reach you.

That and you know.. breaking the law has actual consequences for both spammers and telcos.

Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#58

Post by [deleted] »

catalogia wrote: post #34
alharith wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Hi jimmy, this is your mother. My phone died so I am calling you from the hospital phone. Your dad is in the hospital. Come quick." In the above scenario that happened to me, sometimes you just don't have time to let the information find you.

That would suck, but fear of that scenario isn't enough to make me answer my phone for spammers 5 times a day.

[deleted]

Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#59

Post by bdamm »

mrlala wrote: post #40
Negitivefrags wrote: post #31

Why is this problem unique to the USA? I'm not saying I never get spam calls, but I certainly have to scroll back quite a bit in my phone call history to see the last one. Also, on the rare occasion I do get a spam call it's always from some random international country like South Sudan or Oman that I would never expect a phone call from. What makes this problem uniquely hard to solve for the USA as opposed to anywhe…

If you were setting up a little scam operation.. who would you target? Would you decide to set it up to call over 40 different countries in europe? Each with their own way to show phone numbers.. each carrier attempting to block spam calls in different ways.. each country virtually speaking a different language.. most countries having some different banking/credit card systems.. Or would you target the united states…

As a bonus, the country has a high ratio of people desperate for services who also have enough money to successfully swindle. Many elderly Americans really believe that a stranger on the phone might be their ticket to improved conditions.

Re: FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021 [pdf]

#60

Post by markovbot »

0xff00ffee wrote: post #12

Google Voice impact?

are you asking if this will impact Google Voice? If so, I would imagine the answer is almost certainly that it will not at all impact Google Voice.

Google Voice works by acting as a proxy for outbound calls. You dial your friend's number, your phone dials Google, who in turn dials your friend with your Google Voice number displayed. Since Google is the legitimate carrier for your Google Voice number, I can think of no reason why they wouldn't be able to correctly sign the call.

Additionally, Google is listed as one of the companies that the 14 companies that the FCC appears to be working with (see the table towards the bottom of https://www.fcc.gov/call-authentication), so I assume they are planning to use it for Fi and hopefully Voice as well.

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