Truecaller opens public fight with TRAI over anti-spam rules

New Delhi: After years of working alongside India's efforts to curb spam calls, Truecaller has publicly challenged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), accusing the regulator's anti-spam framework of making the problem worse instead of solving it. The unusual public confrontation began after Truecaller CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala criticised TRAI's policy on X, arguing that restrictions imposed on caller ID applications have prevented platforms like Truecaller from warning users about spam originating from designated commercial and service number series. The dispute centres on TRAI's numbering framework introduced in 2024. Under the rules, the 1400 series was earmarked for promotional telemarketing calls, while the 1600 series was reserved for transactional and service communications such as banks and financial institutions. TRAI directed caller identification platforms not to display community-reported spam labels on these number series, arguing that legitimate business and service calls were increasingly being blocked or misidentified as spam. However, Truecaller now says those restrictions have created a new loophole. "Our users are now blocking 4 lakh calls from 140-series and over 1.2 lakh from 1600-series numbers," Jhunjhunwala wrote on X. He argued that the problem began after TRAI required Truecaller "to NOT show any community reported spam information" for these number ranges. According to Jhunjhunwala, the policy has enabled scammers to exploit the protected numbering series while preventing users from seeing crowdsourced spam warnings that traditionally formed the backbone of Truecaller's service. The CEO also questioned TRAI's ongoing efforts to bring caller identification applications under a separate regulatory framework, describing the move as making "absolutely no sense." The comments come as TRAI has sought greater regulatory oversight over caller identification apps such as Truecaller, Hiya and Whoscall. Since these platforms do not operate as telecom service providers, they currently fall outside the Department of Telecommunications' direct licensing framework. The regulator has argued that third-party apps should not override officially designated numbering classifications or interfere with legitimate commercial communications. Industry discussions have also included proposals for expanding regulatory powers through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to cover caller ID applications. Truecaller, meanwhile, maintains that while it complied with TRAI's directives despite questioning whether they applied to internet applications, the restrictions have weakened consumer protection by limiting community-based spam reporting.