FTC smacks down robocallers, but the penalties don’t match their heinous crimes

The fight against robocallers is just getting started, and the wheel of justice turns slowly, but the FTC just took down a handful of major operations responsible for billions of unwanted calls, some of them adding additional fraud to the mix. The money coming out of the cases is surprisingly small, however — but there’s a reason for that.

View More FTC smacks down robocallers, but the penalties don’t match their heinous crimes

Save $125 on Hushed, an app that hides your phone number from stalkers and telemarketers

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Privacy’s a hot topic. Case in point: Facebook’s privacy violations making the news ad infinitum (thus its impending record fine from the Federal Trade Commission), on top of every other company emailing users about security leaks compromising their data.

But with all the focus on social media and email hacks, the phone lays forgotten. Consider all the ways you disseminate your number: on work calls, texts with potential dates, even transactions with Craigslist buyers and sellers. It just takes one unfortunate interaction before your phone’s blowing up with unsolicited inquiries from a persistent stranger or unwanted robocalls from advertisers — which, by the way, have surged to several *billion* calls per month. Not cool. Read more…

More about Robocalls, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Stackcommerce, Hushed, and Tech

View More Save $125 on Hushed, an app that hides your phone number from stalkers and telemarketers

John Oliver has a perfectly brutal solution to the growing problem of robocalls

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Ever picked up your phone to find yourself speaking with a robot?

You’re very much not alone. Everyone’s least favourite form of communication increased by 60 percent last year, per CNBC, and the fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by John Oliver.

In his latest monologue for Last Week Tonight Oliver is on his usual top, angry form — casually slamming mailboxes and AT&T before setting his sights firmly on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who he clearly doesn’t think are doing enough to stop call-happy robots.

His solution? A message delivered right to the heart of the FCC itself — via robocall. Read more…

More about John Oliver, Last Week Tonight, Robocalls, Entertainment, and Consumer Tech

View More John Oliver has a perfectly brutal solution to the growing problem of robocalls

FCC tells carriers they must adopt a system to detect scam robocalls by next year

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is calling on the telecom industry to help put an end to scam robocalls. On Monday, FCC chairman Ajit Pai sent letters to the heads of voice providers, including AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, Google, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon* and others, urging them to adopt a call authentication system that would […]

View More FCC tells carriers they must adopt a system to detect scam robocalls by next year

FCC tells carriers they must adopt a system to detect scam robocalls by next year

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is calling on the telecom industry to help put an end to scam robocalls. On Monday, FCC chairman Ajit Pai sent letters to the heads of voice providers, including AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, Google, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon* and others, urging them to adopt a call authentication system that would […]

View More FCC tells carriers they must adopt a system to detect scam robocalls by next year

FCC slaps robocaller with record $120M fine, but it’s like ’emptying the ocean with a teaspoon’

Whoever thought we would leave telemarketing behind in this brave new smartphone world of ours lacked imagination. Robocalls are a menace growing in volume and even a massive $120 million fine leveled against a prominent source of them by the FCC likely won’t stem the flood.

View More FCC slaps robocaller with record $120M fine, but it’s like ’emptying the ocean with a teaspoon’