REIN IN OTT SPAM WITH UNIFIED COMMUNICATION RULES

OTT platforms bypass telecom-level regulations, exposing users to spam, fraud, and unfair practices— India urgently needs a uniform compliance code

- LT GEN DR SP KOCHHAR

In a world increasingly shaped by digital communication, protecting consumers from unsolicited and often harmful messages has become not just a regulatory obligation but a national imperative.

While India’s telecom sector has made significant strides under stringent oversight to curb spam and fraudulent communication, Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms continue to operate with minimal checks and balances. This regulatory vacuum undermines consumer trust and poses serious risks to privacy and national security.

In February 2025, a critical amendment to the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations introduced a suffix-based header system for commercial SMS. Under this framework, all SMS communications now carry suffixes to identify whether the message is promotional, transactional, service-related, or from the government. This change has brought a new level of transparency, allowing recipients to recognise the nature of incoming messages instantly. More importantly, it strengthens spam mitigation, supports regulatory compliance, and enhances consumer protection.

However, while these reforms enhance accountability and safeguard telecom subscribers, they also highlight a glaring inconsistency: OTT communication platforms remain outside the ambit of such regulation.

THE GROWING UNSEEN PROBLEM OF SPAM ON OTT PLATFORMS

As communication OTT apps become deeply embedded in our lives, they have also become breeding grounds for unsolicited marketing messages, scam attempts, and phishing attacks. In contrast to SMS and voice services, which are subject to categorisation and filtering norms, OTT platforms often lack similar consumer protection protocols. Because many of these apps rely on end-to-end encryption, tracing the source of spam or malicious messages is often not feasible.