CRTC is asking Canadians for solutions to protect themselves against telemarketers

The CRTC is seeking assistance from Canadians of how to protect themselves from receiving unsolicited and illegitimate calls. The governing body of telecommunications and radio services is actually looking “to better understand” what Canadians are doing to prevent calls and uncovering a new strategy to “reduce illegitimate caller identification (caller ID) spoofing.”

The CRTC is accepting feedback until October 16th and want Canadians to focus on providing insights on the three core areas:

– the technical solutions available to help them manage unsolicited or illegitimate calls
– barriers they may face to adopting or using these solutions, and
– new and innovative solutions that could help them manage unsolicited telecommunications and illegitimate telemarketing calls.

The CRTC launched the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) on September 30th, 2008 with a goal to prevent telemarketers from calling you. Canadians can register their home phone, wireless, fax or VoIP telephone numbers and to-date, over 12.8 million numbers have registered. The CRTC has handled over 900,000 complaints since the DNCL went live and it’s estimated that 40% of all complaints are related to illegitimate Caller ID spoofing. As for fines, the CRTC notes that they have issued over $6.2 million in monetary penalties.

Jean-Pierre Blais, CRTC Chairman, said, “Canadians are very frustrated with telemarketers who hide their identity or misappropriate the legitimate numbers of Canadians and businesses. A significant proportion of the complaints we receive now involve some element of illegitimate caller identification spoofing. There are tools that can help Canadians protect themselves, and there may be new and innovative solutions on the horizon. Following this consultation, we will be publishing guidance material to empower Canadians to make informed choices for themselves and their families.”

[source] CRTC [/source]