Wonder

Blockchain to Prevent Spam Calls

Delivered September 9, 2019. Contributor: Sameen B.

Goals

To find out any announced or deployed examples of using blockchain to prevent spam phone calls or robo calling for the purpose of market research. 

Early Findings

In 2018, 26.3 billion robo calls were made in the US, a 46% increase compared to 2017. While there are several apps, tips, and tricks to prevent spam/robo calls, we weren't able to find any example of the use of blockchain for this purpose in the US. However, significant measures are being taken in India to prevent robo calls. 
MICROSOFT Microsoft in partnership with Tech Mahindra, a leading IT company, is using blockchain to prevent spam calls in India. Both companies have submitted the Proof-of-Concept of their blocking solution to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2018. 
The spam call blocking solution is being developed on Microsoft Azure Platform and will use cloud services. 
The integration of Blockchain and Cloud services will offer a new method of monitoring and enforcing compliance. In a press conference, Microsoft India's National Technology Officer Prashant Shukla said, “With a Microsoft Azure Blockchain-powered solution, we will ensure that we mitigate loopholes used by fraudsters and spammers to reach end users.”
This solution will protect mobile subscribers from Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC). 
It will store the records of a user’s usage pattern including their trusted phone numbers that they often use to communicate. 
JIO, AIRTEL, AND VODAFONEUnder the new reforms by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for telecom companies to block spam calls, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea have joined forces to prevent pesky calls and spam messages with blockchain technology. 
ROBOCALLS 2.0 Robocalls 2.0 (RC20) is a company that aims to use Ethereum Blockchain to prevent robocalls by creating unalterable unique caller IDs. 
Co-founded by Jose Ortiz
 (CEO) and James Tylee (Angel Investor), Robocalls 2.0 is powered by RC20 token, an ERC20 token, to create an AI algorithm that can "scan its user established and blockchain secured spam call ID database to predict unwanted calls based on inbound dialing patterns." The whole process of validating, notifying, and blocking relies on the Ethereum blockchain. 

In addition to this public search, we scanned our proprietary research database of over 1 million sources and were unable to find any specific research reports that address your goals. 

Proposed next steps:

You need to be the project owner to select a next step.