Shaken, not stirred. No, wait, both?

In April, the CRTC issued a directive that all telecommunications service providers (i.e., cell phone companies) had to implement STIR/SHAKEN technology in order to authenticate and validate IP-based voice calls by November 30, 2021.  That begs the question: huh?

Let’s break it down.

What’s the point of this?

The point is to cut down on the number of fake phone calls you get from scammers looking to trick you.  The scammers use robocalling to hide their real identity because they know very well we barely answer calls these days from people we know, let alone people we don’t.  So, they try to make it look like the call is coming from a legitimate source in the hopes that you might answer.  (Side note: this really isn’t an issue for us introverts). 

How?

The CRTC is making your cell phone company use technology to thwart the scammers trying to make these spoofing calls, which they estimate make up 25% of all calls right now.

The cell phone companies have to start using technology known as STIR/SHAKEN to eliminate these calls made over the internet using the Voice Over Internet Protocol.

What is STIR/SHAKEN?

They are acronyms, of course.  STIR is Secure Telephone Identity Revisited.  SHAKEN is Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information using toKENs.  Honestly, it sounds like the tech folks worked hard to come up with James Bond-style acronyms, but I digress.

Basically, they use encryption to ensure a process of verification and authentication to distinguish bad phone numbers from good ones.  This makes it much harder for a robocaller to pretend like it’s calling from a number you know and trust. 

Will it cost me more?

It might.  There’s nothing in the CRTC directive that prevents cell phone companies from passing on the cost of this technology to consumers.  Canadians already pay about 20% more than Americans do and 170% more than Australians do for cell phone plans.  Should cell phone companies now jack the price more just to protect us from scammers?  That’s a discussion you may wish to have with your cell phone provider.

Will it work?

The CRTC says the technology can’t block all these bunk calls because some don’t use VOIP.  That said, it is estimated to be able to block billions of spoofing robocalls once implemented.

There are also two things to remember. 

First, it’s not like the scammers are going anywhere.  It’s just that a wall has been placed in front of them.  They’ll eventually figure out how to get through, around, under or over that wall.  As Seth Rogen’s character in Knocked Up said, “the fighting continues”.  As long as there is something on the other side of the wall worth going after, the scammers will keep trying.

Second, the calls may keep coming but it’ll just be clearer that it’s coming from an unknown number making it easier to decide if you want to answer it.