Govt to keep tabs on unsolicited calls, messages

New Delhi: The Consumer Affairs Ministry on Thursday sought public comments until July 21 on draft guidelines to curb unsolicited and unwanted business communications like promotional calls and text messages.

The guidelines -- prepared after consultations with stakeholders, including telecom firms and regulators -- define ‘business communication’ as any communication related to goods or services like promotional and service messages but excludes personal communication. They will apply to all individuals and entities that make or engage others for such communications or benefit from them, the ministry said in a statement.

The draft guidelines classify any business communication as unsolicited and unwanted if it does not comply with the recipient’s consent or registered preferences. Other conditions that would make a communication unauthorised include using unregistered numbers or SMS headers, calling despite recipients opting out, failing to obtain digital consent, not identifying the caller and purpose, and lacking an opt-out option.