The Federal Communications Commission wants to remove illegal robotext messages. Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced on Monday that the agency will explore rules requiring mobile wireless carriers to block illegal text messages.
The FCC is already fighting illegal robocalls, which are automated dialers that flood customers’ phones with annoying calls, many of which are scams, such as those selling fake automobile warranties. Robocalls are also used by criminals to obtain personal information, such as calls impersonating official institutions such as the IRS.
Earlier this summer, the FCC required that all major phone companies adopt a technology known as Stir/Shaken to reduce spoofed phone calls, which hide the identity of the caller. However, criminals have adapted their tactics to circumvent the new limits, including the use of fake SMS messages. According to the spam-blocking software RoboKiller, 7.4 billion spam messages were sent in March 2021 alone.
According to the FCC, it received around 14,000 consumer complaints about unwanted text messages in 2020, roughly 146 percent increase from 2019. So far FCC received over 9,800 consumer complaints about unwanted texts in 2021.
