Trai mandates pre-tagging of SMS elements to further curb spam, fraud

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has directed telcos to pre-tag each variable field in every SMS content template with labels specifying the content type and purpose, in its latest attempt to curb spam and fraudulent messages.

 

The direction will enable more stringent scrubbing of content in messages, the regulator said, adding that access providers will get 60 days to comply. “After expiry of this compliance window, messages sent using non-compliant templates will be rejected and not delivered,” the regulator said in directions mandating the change issued on Tuesday.

 

Variable components typically include elements such as URLs, application download links or callback numbers that may change from recipient to recipient. With the introduction of mandatory pre-tagging, these variable elements will now have to be categorised and registered upfront by the principal entities (PE), making them traceable and accountable.

 

It added that all new SMS content templates registered after 28 November will be registered only after verifying compliance. However, telcos will have to identify the principal entities associated with faulty messages and inform them of corrective actions required and consequences of continued non-compliance.

 

“By ensuring that every variable field in commercial SMS is validated before transmission, this initiative is expected to significantly enhance public safety and restore trust in digital messaging channels relied upon for banking, financial services, government and essential services communication,” Trai added.

 

The regulator added that the solution stemmed from several investigations into unsolicited commercial communication, which revealed that the absence of predefined tagging was being routinely exploited for fraudulent and phishing activities, allowing unregistered or malicious URLs, app links and callback numbers to be inserted into approved templates without detection.