Truecaller joins telcos against AI-based number blocking

New Delhi: Swedish call management app Truecaller has sided with Indian telcos in opposing the blocking of mobile numbers based on flagging by artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions, saying consent should always come from the user.

“Because AI is a trained model and not entirely accurate, I would not have the confidence to automatically block those calls on behalf of users. We identify, but we do not block unless the user initiates it,” Truecaller CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala told ET in an exclusive interview.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has proposed formally allowing telecom companies to use AI-based filtering tools to detect and block spam calls and messages. The regulator has also directed all mobile operators to share data derived from their AI-based solutions within hours on a common blockchain-based platform and act against spammers, even in the absence of complaints. This is part of the regulator’s move to regularise the use of AI-based solutions in curbing spam.

“I completely agree with the telecom operators' stance. At Truecaller, we do not automatically block any calls; the user must actively opt in and say they wish to block spam. What is considered a bad or spam call for one person might not be spam for someone else,” Jhunjhunwala said.

Asked whether telcos launching their own caller identification platforms as well as spam solutions would affect the relevance of Truecaller for users, Jhunjhunwala said it is head-on competition for a part of their offering, but the value proposition offered by Truecaller is much broader and the company has not seen much impact on its user base. “It is direct competition, but we have always faced competition from giants like Google, Apple and Samsung. We are always open to collaborating with telcos and frequently have conversations with them regarding fraud, spam and caller ID,” he said.

Jhunjhunwala asserted that the name provided under the calling name presentation (CNAP) mandate of the government was insufficient, as the calling party’s intent must also be considered for a user to make an informed choice.

In response to a query on the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act and Truecaller’s preparedness to meet the regulations, Jhunjhunwala said the company would be considered a large data fiduciary and had started preparing a long time ago. “In 2018, we voluntarily moved all our Indian citizen data to India and provided users with the exact controls the DPDP Act now requires, such as the ability to request or delete their data. We have very clean data practices, we have never sold any data, and we will be fully compliant with DPDP well before the deadline,” he said.

Asked how Truecaller’s premium subscriptions are scaling, he said this is a very fast-growing area of its business. “Globally, about 0.7% of our user base is premium, which leaves a lot of headroom. The advent of OTT services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube Premium has taught consumers that paying for mobile subscriptions is normal,” he added.