Airtel CEO pens note on telco's spam-fighting network; says spam crackdown will continue

Bharti Airtel is combating the "growing menace" of cyber frauds with network intelligence and Al to analyse patterns and accurately identify spammers, CEO Gopal Vittal said as he asked customers to be vigilant on 'suspected spam' indicator, now available.

The regulator TRAI and the industry have upped the ante to crack down on the spam menace, and the regulator's new missive on whitelisted (approved) URLs has also come into effect from October 1.

An HDFC Bank spokesperson, in response to a specific query, told PTI that the bank is "compliant as of today" with norms, and does not expect any difficulties. Meanwhile, Vittal penned a note to subscribers promising that Airtel will continue to work on identifying verified scammers and permanently blocking them from its network.

"Our new solution makes us India's 1st Spam Fighting Network and we hope you will feel more confident and secure every time you receive that spam call or message," Vittal told subscribers. Over the last six months, Airtel has used its network intelligence and Al to analyse call patterns to accurately identify spammers on the network.

"From phishing attempts to fraudulent schemes, scammers target ordinary individuals like you and me. And even the most tech-savvy folks often fall for it. It is time we all found a way to protect ourselves," Vittal said as he reminded customers that nearly all cyber frauds and crimes begin with a simple phone call or SMS. He said that for the last six months, the telco has leveraged Network Intelligence and Al to analyse call patterns to accurately identify spammers on the network. Vittal assured that Airtel's efforts in this regard will be continuous and sustained.

"Once identified, we tag/mark everyone of these numbers so that you automatically receive a 'Suspected Spam' alert, when getting a call from such numbers. At the same time, you will also get a 'Suspected Spam' alert on SMSes with malicious links or fraudulent content in them. And in the background, we will continue to work at identifying verified scammers and permanently blocking them from our network," he said.

Vittal said Airtel aims to make these alerts a natural part of your mobile experience, so that each time subscribers receive a call or SMS, they remain vigilant for the "Suspected Spam" indicator.

"You do not have to do anything. This is an in-built service on our network and using it will be a seamless experience for you. No apps to download, no features to enable, no permissions to grant, and no extra charges to pay," he said. The communication assumed significance in the backdrop of TRAI, over recent months, hardening its stance on pesky telemarketers and spammers, in order to protect consumers from fraudulent practices.

Trai also gave a missive to telecom operators to stop transmission of unwhitelisted' messages by September 1, a deadline that was subsequently extended to October 1, after some players sought more time.