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FCC Releasing Data to Support Robocall-Blocking Technologies

24 points by gvb 11y ago

tshtf 11y ago
1) If companies begin blocking numbers on the FCC lists, it would open an opportunity to DoS any number by generating a high number of spoofed calls to generate complaints. 2) Telemarketers are now spoofing Caller ID to come from the same area code and prefix as the called number, with a random four digits at the end. I don't see the database helping prevent these sorts of calls.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- ams6110 11y ago
  As it is now, I just don't answer any calls from numbers that are not already in my contact list. Any unknown numbers go to voice mail.
  - __david__ 11y ago
    I do that too, but I also check and if they don't leave a message I block them immediately[1]. It seems harsh at first, but I've cut down the number of telemarketer calls dramatically since I started doing it. [1] If I'm (for some reason) expecting a cold call from someone I don't know yet, I'll tend to answer them. But that's not my norm.
- MichaelGG 11y ago
  You can already DoS to some extent. Carriers hate this type of traffic and will often block on number. Plus people call those numbers back like crazy, so many channels can get tied up answering. On 2, you're exactly right. When dealing with dialer traffic, we found that the more we blocked traffic, the worse stuff we'd end up with. The FCC could start fining companies for this traffic and it'd clear itself up rather soon.
unsignedint 11y ago
Ironically, most annoying / unprofessional robocall I received recently was from the government agency (by CDC -- actually their contractor) for some sort of health related survey/interview. I speculate this system won't block those calls...
- belzebub 11y ago
  Do you know what the topic of the survey was?
  - unsignedint 11y ago
    No idea. I wasn't planning to participate after seeing their persistence, with more than a few voicemails (I generally don't answer to number I don't recognize unless I'm expecting calls.) -- so I called the number back, which basically told me to leave my number and message, so I recorded the message with number to not call again. Then, they've called me, which I told them to not call me again. (Which they've acknowledged.) Then a few days after they called me again, and I told them the same thing and she got extremely personal, telling me she's just doing her job; justifying reason they can call me despite my earlier denial because she (the attendant) was not the person who made the call earlier. Complained to CDC via phone (which took me to the voicemail) and via their website, but I haven't received any response. I just had to conclude people involved in those surveys are highly unprofessional and incompetent, let alone not trustworthy enough for giving answer to any health related questions.
msoad 11y ago
Someone should maintain a contact file that has all those numbers in it. When a telemarketer calls you phone will show "Telemarketing is calling"!

24 points by gvb 11y ago

tshtf 11y ago

1) If companies begin blocking numbers on the FCC lists, it would open an opportunity to DoS any number by generating a high number of spoofed calls to generate complaints. 2) Telemarketers are now spoofing Caller ID to come from the same area code and prefix as the called number, with a random four digits at the end. I don't see the database helping prevent these sorts of calls.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
ams6110 11y ago
As it is now, I just don't answer any calls from numbers that are not already in my contact list. Any unknown numbers go to voice mail.
- __david__ 11y ago
  I do that too, but I also check and if they don't leave a message I block them immediately[1]. It seems harsh at first, but I've cut down the number of telemarketer calls dramatically since I started doing it. [1] If I'm (for some reason) expecting a cold call from someone I don't know yet, I'll tend to answer them. But that's not my norm.
MichaelGG 11y ago
You can already DoS to some extent. Carriers hate this type of traffic and will often block on number. Plus people call those numbers back like crazy, so many channels can get tied up answering. On 2, you're exactly right. When dealing with dialer traffic, we found that the more we blocked traffic, the worse stuff we'd end up with. The FCC could start fining companies for this traffic and it'd clear itself up rather soon.

unsignedint 11y ago

Ironically, most annoying / unprofessional robocall I received recently was from the government agency (by CDC -- actually their contractor) for some sort of health related survey/interview. I speculate this system won't block those calls...

belzebub 11y ago
Do you know what the topic of the survey was?
- unsignedint 11y ago
  No idea. I wasn't planning to participate after seeing their persistence, with more than a few voicemails (I generally don't answer to number I don't recognize unless I'm expecting calls.) -- so I called the number back, which basically told me to leave my number and message, so I recorded the message with number to not call again. Then, they've called me, which I told them to not call me again. (Which they've acknowledged.) Then a few days after they called me again, and I told them the same thing and she got extremely personal, telling me she's just doing her job; justifying reason they can call me despite my earlier denial because she (the attendant) was not the person who made the call earlier. Complained to CDC via phone (which took me to the voicemail) and via their website, but I haven't received any response. I just had to conclude people involved in those surveys are highly unprofessional and incompetent, let alone not trustworthy enough for giving answer to any health related questions.

msoad 11y ago

Someone should maintain a contact file that has all those numbers in it. When a telemarketer calls you phone will show "Telemarketing is calling"!