Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984
FCC’s proposed robotext crackdown could block legal messages, critics say
The Federal Communications Commission says it is giving cellular carriers added authority to block text messages, saying the action is needed to protect consumers from spam or robotexts. But critics of the plan note that carriers are already allowed to block robotexts and worry that the change will make it easy for carriers to censor political texts or block certain kinds of messages in order to extract more revenue from senders.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's announcement acknowledges that carriers are already allowed to block illegal robotexts. Pai did not promise new consumer-friendly blocking services; instead, he said his plan "allow[s] carriers to continue using robotext-blocking and anti-spoofing measures to protect consumers from unwanted text messages" (emphasis ours).
Despite that, Pai is proposing to classify text messaging as an information service, rather than a telecommunications service. That's the same legal classification that Pai gave to home and mobile broadband services as part of a December 2017 vote to deregulate the industry and eliminate net neutrality rules. The FCC has not previously ruled on whether text messaging is an information service or a telecommunications service.
An FCC vote on Pai's plan is scheduled for December 12.
[...] Public Knowledge yesterday called Pai's plan "a great big gift basket to corporate special interests at the expense of American consumers."
[...] Pai argued in a blog post that changing text messaging from its current un-classified status to a Title II telecommunication service "would dramatically curb the ability of wireless providers to use robotext-blocking, anti-spoofing, and other anti-spam features." Rejecting Title II and settling on the information service classification for text messaging would "remove regulatory uncertainty, and empower providers to continue finding innovative ways to protect consumers from unwanted text messages," Pai wrote.
[...] Pai's information service proposal was accompanied by another measure designed to reduce robocalls. Pai is proposing a "reassigned number database... [that] would help legitimate callers know whether telephone numbers have been reassigned to somebody else before calling those numbers," he wrote.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Saturday November 24 2018, @01:54PM (1 child)
I bought my iPhone 7 last Spring, and it's still running iOS 10.0.1. I think the current firmware is 12 or so.
Whenever a scammer calls me, the caller ID displayed is "Scam Likely".
What's truly puzzling though is that every single day for well over a year, I've received calls whose IDs are all over the planet, sometimes they are just a few digits that cannot really be phone numbers. I always answer unidentified callers because they might be potential clients. I never hear anything coming from their end. When that happens I always say, "I can't hear you. Try calling me back." Sometimes that happens with my Mom's phone; she blocks her Caller ID.
Then the other end hangs up.
Surely there is some reason?
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2, Informative) by fennec on Saturday November 24 2018, @08:21PM
Those are the same as one ring scam, the goal is to get you to call back this number and be overcharged for it.