Canada Adds STIR/SHAKEN to its Arsenal in the Fight Against Nuisance Callers
In 2019 more than $24 million dollars was illegally taken from those living in Canada through robocallers and phone scams. The number is astonishing, and it is clear that Canada has a problem with robocallers and spoof-calls. This level of fraudulent activity leaves those living in Canada with a sense of distrust towards not only the telecommunications network, but also the companies that rely on it when communicating with their customer base. As a result, many companies are experiencing a reduction in the number of calls that are being answered by customers. There is clearly a need to address the grip that robocallers have on the nation. The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) have said that they are committed to protecting citizens from the fraudulent nuisance calls that are robbing the innocent of their time and money.
As one of the leading countries to establish and promote the STIR/SHAKEN protocols, Canada is certainly doing a lot to tackle the fraudulent calls that blight the country and its telecommunications industry. Being at the leading edge of implementation means that Canada can also go one step further and combine the power of STIR/SHAKEN with call blocking and call tracebacks in order to ensure citizens of the genuine nature of calls from legitimate companies.
This is good news for companies operating in Canada as they will be able to reap the benefits of winning back the trust of their customers by ensuring them that they, their money and their data are safe and protected. Once Canada has STIR/SHAKEN established on a nationwide scale, and added the traceback and call blocking as standard protocol, they are likely to see themselves leading the way when it comes to data produced in response to successful call volumes and customer satisfaction.
Call blocking mandates have led to some success when it comes to addressing the number of fraudulent robocallers that are being made to Canadian citizens. The data provided by the CRTC shows that Bell Canada reported the blocking of over 220 million illegitimate calls a month last year. Bell, who have been on board with STIR/SHAKEN and its development and implementation for a long time, claim that their AI system blocked in excess of 66 million calls without producing any false positives. Telus also reports that their more user-intensive approach has also shown pleasing results.
The improvement is clear. And the advent of mandated call blocking is clearly having a positive impact. However, it is also clear that STIR/SHAKEN has a big role to play in offering a multi-disciplinary and more robust approach to ending fraudulent robocalls that aim to rob innocent people of their money and cause a daily nuisance to us all.
It is clear that the CRTC is serious about protecting Canadian citizens from fraudulent calls as they have amended their original STIR/SHAKEN deadline to fall in line with the date set for U.S. carriers. As such, the date of June 2021 looms large and it is time for all businesses to have implemented STIR/SHAKEN. Progress seems to be going well, and it can be seen that many large companies are not going to struggle to be ready in time. However, for some smaller companies, the task of getting STIR/SHAKEN up and running is one that can seem somewhat overwhelming and there is a need here for those companies to be able to reach out and get the help that they need. All in one solutions that help businesses to implement STIR/SHAKEN and become educated and informed about the other robocall-fighting options available to them is key. The one thing that is clear and obvious is that no business - no matter how big or small - should face a struggle or be put at a disadvantage as they move to implement STIR/SHAKEN. This is because STIR/SHAKEN is there to protect us all and to make the telecommunications industry the trustworthy entity that it really is at the heart of its operations. The aim of STIR/SHAKEN is not to make operations more frustrating, costly or time-consuming than they need to be, but to offer protection and assurance in the fight against fraudsters. Being able to turn to specialists who can help is key for small businesses for a number of reasons. Firstly, the aforementioned ease of use in order to restore faith, but also the need to raise telecommunications as a viable option for investment from around the world. If Canadian companies, working with the CRTC can prove that their implementation of STIR/SHAKEN together with traceback and call blocking and the provision of Rich Data can prove successful, then it will go a long way to prove to the outside world that there is less risk for investors when it comes to backing businesses whose communication with customers relies on telecommunications.
The Canadian approach also includes tracing the origination of spoof and spam calls. The industry-wide Canadian Traceback Program is one of the key weapons in the fight against robocallers and their crimes. It is there to support the enforcement of the laws and regulations that the country has already established. Following a trial of the Canadian Traceback Program involving nine participants, there were some interesting discoveries made, and many questions raised. Of course, the fact that there were only nine participating companies does lead one to question how many unique circumstances were encountered - especially those likely to be encountered by small and specific operations. However, these are issues that will come to light if the trial is extended, or if it gets the go-ahead for full implementation across the industry. The promising results that the trial yielded include the discovery that all TSP types (ILEC, CLEC, SILEC, Reseller and Wireless) were all able to identify the source of calls and were able to process Traceback requests. This is very good to see and opens the possibility of widespread implementation in the future. The exploration of validation time against the number of hops involved in a call and the maximum amount of processing time needed resulted in the conclusion that a TSP call data retention period of 10 calendar days would prove sufficient for all upstream TSPs to conduct timely and useful Traceback investigation.
The trial revealed that, of the 63 completed Tracebacks, an investigating TSP responded with a median value of 2.09 calendar days.
It was concluded that, based on the data produced by the trial, that two business days to respond to a Trackback request was a reasonable and appropriate guideline to set.
Based on the trial, it was concluded that Canadian TSPs can process 40 Tracebacks per week.
Whilst the trial seemed to yield overall positive results, there were some recommendations that arose as a result of the work. Firstly, there was concern around the fact that calls originating from outside of Canada were not included in the trial and it is not certain how federal borders and upstream paths would figure in the Traceback process. This is perhaps one of the most concerning outcomes and comments from the trial as the majority of nuisance robocallers originate from outside of the country. It was decided that there needs to be further exploratory trials in order to determine how smaller businesses would deal with the need to implement the timelines involved in the Traceback process.
The trial left the industry with a lot to think about, but the reaction to its findings has been overwhelmingly positive.
There needs to be more exploration of the Traceback program and the possibility of it being used on a widespread basis. However, it is certain that, along with STIR/SHAKEN, it could transform the telecommunications industry and provide the solution that many companies are looking for when it comes to fighting those who are out not only to scam individuals but also to destroy companies and their profits.
With these developments in hand, it is wise to wonder whether we could be looking ahead to the use of Rich Call Data (RCD). Rich Call Data includes information such as title, logo, the reason for the call amongst other things. This data would be displayed and this would then empower the recipient. RCD will allow secure transportation of Caller ID in Canada that gets created at call origination.
Of course, whilst there is an industry out there crying out for the protection afforded to them by the likes of Traceback, call blocking and STIR/SHAKEN, it is the smartphone manufacturers who need to support the use of Rich Call Data implementation. What is emerging at the moment is a picture of needed compliance alongside the need for support for small businesses and also a cooperative and integrated industry-wide approach that will see the issues attacked from all sides. Whilst it is good that there are now many emerging laws and protocols to help keep the industry and the citizens of Canada safe, it is not until all entities work together that the real benefits and difference will be made and felt.
A secure network is of interest to us all, and making sure that this is the reality across Canada is vital for all businesses. With the support of the CRTC and the availability of help and specialist services, there is a clear and bright future for many companies across the country that have voice calling at the heart of their business model and operation. It will be interesting to see where the latest developments in this field lead us and to think about the innovations that will follow this one.
Let’s hope that the rest of the world will take note of the success that is blooming in the telecommunications industry in North America, and look to make STIR/SHAKEN a part of the safety and security measures that they offer to their citizens in order to protect them from the fraudulent scammers who have already tricked too many people out of their money.
0 Comments