Truecaller aims to help WhatsApp users combat spam
08/05/2023 14:00
By Munsif Vengattil
NEW DELHI, May 8 (Reuters) - Truecaller TRUEb.ST will
soon start making its caller identification service available
over WhatsApp and other messaging apps to help users spot
potential spam calls over the internet, the company told Reuters
on Monday.
The feature, currently in beta phase, will be rolled out
globally later in May, Truecaller Chief Executive Alan Mamedi
said.
Telemarketing and scamming calls have been on the rise in
countries like India, where users gets about 17 spam calls per
month on average, according to a 2021 report by Truecaller.
India's telecom regulator in February directed carriers like
Jio and Airtel to start blocking telemarketing calls over their
networks using artificial intelligence filters. Truecaller has
said it is in discussions with telecom operators to implement
such a solution.
"Over the last two weeks, we have seen a spike in user
reports from India about spam calls over WhatsApp," Mamedi said,
noting that telemarketers switching to internet calling was
fairly new to the market.
WhatsApp is the most used messaging platform in India. The
company says it uses spam detection technology to spot and take
action on accounts engaging in abnormal behavior and lets
users block and report problematic accounts.
For Truecaller, India is its biggest market with 250 million
users. It has 350 million users globally and earns its revenue
from advertising, subscription services, and verified listings
from businesses.
(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in New Delhi
Editing by Mark Potter)
((munsif.vengattil@thomsonreuters.com;))