DoT to Deploy Caller ID Feature Initially for Commercial Entities: Report

Also Read: TRAI Issues Directions to Telcos to Curb Unauthorized Promotions Using Telecom Resources

Bharti Airtel, during the consultation process on the subject, said, “Hence, the immediate and primary target of CNAP should be such A2P (application-to-person)/telemarketing/UCC (unsolicited commercial call) calling, which is the major volume driver of spam today. Once the solution is tested successfully on this universe, a wider roll-out could be deliberated over the larger subscriber base, if needed.”

“We are concerned about the privacy of users and similarly about the issue of rising spams and financial frauds. Therefore, we would want to get started with commercial entities first to see the implementation of the feature. TRAI is working on the recommendations simultaneously and we will see what best solution can come in,” the report cited a statement from a government official, adding that there will be a reduction in pesky calls and messages with TRAI’s directions on cleaning headers and templates.

Also Read: TRAI Directs Telcos to Report Major Network Outages at District Level

Analyze a 2017 SC Judgement

TRAI Chairman PD Vaghela has directed his legal team to analyze a 2017 Supreme Court judgment on privacy to better understand the issues surrounding the privacy concerns that have been raised by stakeholders with the implementation of the caller ID feature. “We are concerned about privacy, there is no doubt about that. TRAI has always stood for the privacy of people,” Vaghela said at an open house discussion last month.

The 2017 Supreme Court ruling declared privacy to be a fundamental right under Part III of the Constitution. The Court also ruled that grounds for restricting the right to privacy must pass the three-fold test of legality, necessity, and proportionality.