TRAI seeks powers to act against call management apps like Truecaller, others

New Delhi: The telecom regulator has sought powers under the Information Technology (IT) Act to take action against call management apps and digital platforms, such as Truecaller, Hiya and Whoscall, for tagging and blocking calls originating from 1400 and 1600 as spam despite the special numbering series being assigned for commercial communications, said people with knowledge of the development.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) cannot take action against such platforms at present since, as intermediaries, they fall under the purview of IT Act. The platforms are not licence holders under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), unlike telecom operators, which have to mandatorily comply with directions issued by the regulator.