NEW DELHI: The Centre has formed a committee to address pesky calls, which amount to violating the privacy and rights of users.Constituted by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), the committee comprises members of different regulatory authorities, telemarketing companies and cellular industry to draft the guidelines.In a meeting convened by DoCA secretary Rohit Kumar Singh on Tuesday, it was observed that most of such calls are from the financial services sector, followed by real estate. It was also pointed out that spam callers are now switching to internet calls, especially using WhatsApp to lure customers into ponzi schemes and crypto investments, or offer job opportunities.“It was observed that these calls not only violate the privacy of users but also the rights of the consumers,” Singh said.The meeting was attended by representatives from Department of Telecom, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Cellular Operators Association of India, BSNL, Vodafone, Airtel and Reliance.The government had already advised commercial entities to get 140 number series prefixed to their phone number so that a consumer can identify the caller. “It gives subscribers more control on what kind of calls or texts they want to receive. Various unregistered telemarketers do not follow these provisions. It was emphasised in the meeting that all the telemarketers should ensure strict compliance to these enabling provisions,” said Singh.Efforts have already been made by the DoT and TRAI to address the issue related to spam messages and pesky calls from registered telemarketers.
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