The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is in talks with Meta Platforms Inc. and Google Llc to integrate spam complaints reported on platforms such as WhatsApp and in-built phone diallers with telecom operators' complaint systems, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Trai has held multiple meetings with the US tech giants to develop a mechanism that integrates user spam complaints from WhatsApp and Google's in-built phone dialler with the distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform and the regulator's do-not-disturb (DND) portal, the first person said on the condition of anonymity.
The DLT platform is used by telecom operators to register telemarketers and monitor commercial communications, while the DND app allows consumers to report unwanted commercial messages and calls.
Integrating reports from platforms such as WhatsApp and phone diallers with these systems would help authorities identify repeat offenders and take faster action against spammers.
“Discussions are actively taking place with both Meta and Google regarding spam management. Trai wants WhatsApp to share its spam data with telecom operators for better action,” the second person said, adding that the plan is to enforce this by discussions at the moment.
Mint's queries emailed to Trai, Google and Meta on Friday remained unanswered.
Pesky call menace
In February, Trai said that in 2025, over 1.7 million spam complaints were registered through the DND application, contributing directly to regulatory scrutiny and action against unregistered telemarketers and repeat offenders.
A February survey by community platform LocalCircles, 96% of WhatsApp users said they receive pesky or unsolicited commercial messages every day on the app.
Currently, spam complaints reported on WhatsApp and in-built phone diallers remain within the platforms' own systems, allowing them to take action against spammers. Trai wants these complaints to flow into a common anti-spam database, enabling telecom operators and the regulator to act against the originating numbers, a government official said.
But the second person said Meta seemed a bit hesitant to share the WhatsApp spam data due to user privacy and technical issues. Some technical issues, such as how the integration will happen, will also need to be identified.
Trai is also engaged in a dispute with caller ID platform Truecaller over its rules preventing the app from labelling calls from the 140 and 1600 number series as spam.
Regulatory push
Digital platforms are already facing increased regulatory scrutiny in the country, with the government and regulators stepping up oversight on issues ranging from spam, online fraud and digital arrests to child safety. Companies such as Meta and Google are increasingly being asked to comply with Indian laws.
Trai is also pushing for regulatory intervention to ensure greater coordination between telecom operators and technology companies to curb spam. In a recent draft amendment to its anti-spam framework, it proposed that spam reported through call management apps such as Truecaller and in-built phone diallers be automatically registered as unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) complaints on the DLT platform.
According to Trai, telecom operators can take action against spammers' telecom resources only when complaints are registered on the DLT platform.
Once finalized, the rules will mean additional responsibilities for spam-filtering apps and smartphone makers. “Treating every user-generated tag as a reportable complaint to Trai and the DND registry under Regulation 34A(2) compels CMAs (call management apps) to transfer commercially valuable user-side intelligence, signal patterns, and app-generated reporting outputs to the DND registry maintained by access providers,” Truecaller said in its submission to Trai on 17 April.
"Technically, it is feasible to share the spam data by OTT communication apps and phone dialer apps on telcos' DLT. It will also be helpful in curbing the menace of spam collectively by all the stakeholders instead of the current siloed approach," said Satya N. Gupta, former principal advisor at Trai.
Gupta said the advantages of blockchain-based platforms like DLT include data security and interoperability with different systems. However, a question may arise on how the cost of storing such additional spam data will be shared between telcos and other spam data providers.