RBI, SEBI, home ministry meet TRAI officials to discuss how to check misuse of unsolicited calls

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India convened a meeting of Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR) on Wednesday at TRAI headquarters in Delhi. The meeting was convened to discuss preventing unauthorized calls and misuse of unsolicited calls.

"Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) is a major source of inconvenience to the public and impinges on the privacy of individuals. UCC is also adopted for misuse by fraudsters. Various possible collaborative approaches and measures to deal with UCC and frauds through telecom resources were discussed in the meeting," said Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MoCA) and TRAI as members of JCoR and representatives from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as special invitees.

During the meeting, discussions centered around unauthorized calls, the use of specific series for promotional and transactional calls, and the crucial role of entities in the Banking, Finance Services & Insurance (BFSI) sector in preventing (Unsolicited Commercial Communication) UCC. Measures such as whitelisting, digital consent acquisition, and fraud control were highlighted as key strategies to tackle these challenges effectively.

TRAI's initiative to study regulatory implications in the digital realm and work collaboratively on regulations highlights a proactive approach to safeguarding consumer privacy and curbing fraudulent activities.

The authority emphasized on strengthening Know Your Customer (KYC) processes and information sharing through platforms and says it will help to enhance security and transparency in the telecom sector.