The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has granted access service providers a one-month extension to comply with its directive regarding the whitelisting of URLs, APKs, and OTT links. TRAI had initially instructed major telecom operators to regulate messages containing URLs, OTT links, APK files, and phone numbers unless they are whitelisted by September 1. This initiative aims to reduce spam and phishing attempts through SMS services.
Now, TRAI has stipulated that all access providers must provide an updated status on action taken within 15 days and a compliance report within 30 days from the date of the directive. The revised directive mandates that access providers ensure that any traffic containing non-whitelisted URLs/APKs/OTT links will not be permitted from October 1.
The goal is to create a more secure telecom ecosystem by curbing the misuse of headers and content templates. Additionally, the timeline for implementing call back numbers will be set separately. On August 20, the government mandated that access service providers take concrete measures to curb the misuse of messaging services, effective from September 1.
All access service providers were prohibited from transmitting messages containing non-whitelisted URLs, APKs, OTT links, or call back numbers. To discourage the misuse of templates for promotional content, TRAI has introduced punitive measures for non-compliance, including the blacklisting of content templates registered under the wrong category.
Repeated offences will result in a one-month suspension of the sender’s services. TRAI emphasised that the revocation of traffic from the sender will only occur after legal action is taken against such misuse.
Meanwhile, a new fraudulent scheme involving the deactivation of SIM cards has recently been uncovered. TRAI has issued a warning to alert users about this scam. Fraudsters are sending SMS messages to people, claiming to be from TRAI, and asking them to deactivate their mobile numbers.
TRAI has clarified that this is a fraudulent message, as they have not communicated with users about deactivating their mobile connections via calls or messages.
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Inputs from IANS
