Amid rising complaints over unwanted communication, India is moving towards using artificial intelligence to control spam messages, with regulators proposing stricter measures for telecom operators.
According to proposals by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, telecom companies may face penalties if they fail to act against senders flagged by AI systems. Action would be triggered when a number marked as suspicious receives 3 unique customer complaints within 10 days. Spam-related complaints in the country reached 2.5 million last year.
However, the move has raised concerns among banks and fintech firms. They fear that errors in AI detection could lead to blocking of critical messages such as OTPs and fraud alerts.
Major players like HDFC Bank and PhonePe have suggested a 6-month pilot phase before full implementation. They believe this will help identify and fix potential issues, reducing the risk of accidental message blocks.
Telecom operators have supported stricter penalties for telemarketers and have even proposed charges of up to 50 paise per minute for spam voice calls.
At the same time, some industry stakeholders have expressed concerns that increased costs could impact businesses and slow down the growth of the digital economy.
The proposal reflects India’s effort to balance stricter spam control with the need to ensure smooth communication for essential services.
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