New FCC Laws Could Finally Prevent You From Getting Spam Texts Again
Image ID 140180712 © via Ahilfoto1 | Dreamstime.com
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hopes to create new legislation to prevent spammers from filling your inbox with messages. This new policy, which is in the works, would allow mobile carriers to block unwanted texts from ever reaching your smartphone.
“We’ve seen a rise in scammers trying to take advantage of our trust of text messages by sending bogus robotexts that try to trick consumers to share sensitive information or click on malicious links,” said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
“It’s time we take steps to confront this latest wave of fraud and identify how mobile carriers can block these automated messages before they have the opportunity to cause any harm.”
Recently, the commission has been stepping up its fight against automated calls and texts. It dealt its largest fine in history—US$225 million—to two telemarketers based in Texas, after it was revealed they had made over one billion robocalls across the country. Additionally, it established a Robocall Response Team in order to beef up its efforts against spammers.
Now, it’s turning its attention to spam messages. In 2020, the FCC received over 14,000 complaints of unwanted texts, with was a staggering 146% increase from the year before.
According to Engadget, after the agency comes up with the new policy targeting robotexts, the public will be invited to give their feedback on the proposal. Hopefully, it’ll be implemented sooner than later, so we won’t constantly be alerted to spam messages filling up our inbox.
[via Engadget, cover image via Ahilfoto1 | Dreamstime.com]
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