Government Mandates Mobile IDs In a CNAP
· Free Press Journal
A giant base of 1.2 billion active mobile connections, about 450 million of them in the 5G category, and 52% smartphone penetration make India a frontline user of the technology.
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What is also true is that, for millions, mobile communications take place in a poorly regulated landscape where spammers, fraudsters and shady commercial entities try to trick users.
It is welcome, therefore, that the Union government has mandated telecom service providers to display the true identities of callers from November 1, including the registered trademark of a business or its name as entered in the Goods and Services Tax records.
Only recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the India Mobile Congress that mobile connectivity has emerged as a tool for good governance and is raising the ease of living for citizens.
The government sees mobile phones as not merely communication devices but also as a central component of India’s digital vision. Such a view is, no doubt, uplifting and potentially supportive of economic growth, but the government is also aware that cyberfraud is rampant in India, with a disproportionate number of victims being senior citizens who have few supportive systems to reach out to.
The new Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) national mandate must, therefore, be rigorously enforced, with telecom service providers providing remedial measures where those who withhold their names engage in unlawful or exploitative activity.
Authentication And Fraud Prevention
In order for the CNAP system to be implemented on 4G and 5G networks and to be fully vetted, the IDs of existing mobile numbers have to be authenticated at the level of the service provider.
Digital house arrest scammers, for instance, continue to use individual mobile numbers and IDs, or are able to use a spoofed number; some entities use robocalling for spamming.
It is a puzzle that, in spite of strict Know Your Customer requirements and the insistence on Aadhaar numbers by telecom service providers, such fraudsters are able to get connections and use their phones with impunity.
Many commercial portals are also selling the identities of those who register with them to third parties for marketing purposes, leading to unrelieved spamming.
A feedback loop is necessary to identify these unethical users and report them to a statutory authority for suitable legal action. Where a name is withheld using the privacy feature and it is then used for illegal purposes, the called party should have a reliable recourse.
Building Accountable Digital Services
Such a robust system should be the foundation of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure, which has so far focused primarily on payment systems and app-based commerce, rather than on governance reform.
It is undoubtedly convenient to pay digitally, but the Union and state governments need to become accountable for services that people can seek in the digital mode and ensure time-bound delivery. The CNAP mandate is a good start.
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