REGULATING OTT SPAM: WHY THE RULES MUST CATCH UP TO CHANGE

With OTT platforms growing rapidly, the lack of regulation fuels the surge in spam, posing risks to consumer safety and national security, urging urgent reforms.

- LT GEN DR SP KOCHHAR

India has witnessed a sharp rise in spam communications in the last few years. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in 2023 alone, a staggering 12.2 million grievances were filed against unregistered telemarketers (UTMs), a sharp climb from 8.5 million in 2021. While the government and the telecom service providers are continuously putting in efforts to have in place robust measures to curb these unwanted communications over mobile networks actively, unfortunately, over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms remain largely unregulated, chiefly owing to the growing popularity of these platforms and the subsequent lack of regulation in this domain.

India is one of the largest markets for communication OTTs. Such platforms have over two billion active monthly users globally, of which over 400 million are from India.

GOVERNMENT MEASURES TO TACKLE TRADITIONAL SPAM CHANNELS

The Government of India has introduced various policies and reforms to effectively manage unsolicited commercial communications (UCC) through traditional SMS and voice call channels. As per the TRAI data, the regulator has blacklisted over 1.85 million phone numbers since August 2024. The Department of Telecommunications, too, has launched the International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System, which blocks approximately 13 million such calls daily.

Telecom operators are also working closely with the government to curb spam communications. In 2018, TRAI introduced the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) to address the menace of UCC, which has been reasonably successful. The TCCCPR involves multiple stakeholders—telcos, telemarketers (TMs), aggregators, and Principal Entities (PEs). It uses a technological solution, Blockchain—distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), to curb UCC.

IN BRIEF