Tech Mahindra and Microsoft have partnered to build a blockchain-based solution to fight SMS and call spam. The solution is designed to be in line with TRAI's new regulations on DND and spam. The solution is being built on Microsoft's Azure platform and will also utilize cloud services. The companies have not revealed any technical specifics or the workings of the solutions yet. "The intersection of cloud and blockchain will ensure a new way of monitoring and enforcing compliance throughout the ecosystem," said Prashant Shukla, National Tech Officer, Microsoft India in a joint statement. "Through this solution we will be able to help service providers be compliant with the new regulation." The blockchain solution will be a shared ledger of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCCs). It is meant to simplify obtaining customer preferences on registration and consent as to be included SMS and call send-out lists. Unsolicited Commercial Communications is the legal term for SMS and call spam. Earlier in May, TRAI released a draft regulation outlining a plan to combat SMS and call spam using blockchain technology. TRAI has long tried to curb the menace of call and SMS spam: in 2010, it established a national opt-in registry of users who didn’t want any spam sent to them. Over 23 crore phone numbers have been added to that registry since then. But spam hasn’t stopped. The regulator says that even users who have registered on its national Do Not Disturb (DND) registry still get texts and calls from telemarketers. In its draft regulation,…
