Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the main federal agency that regulates the telecom and broadcasting industry in Canada, is finding itself chasing after more and more individuals and organizations because they violate long standing Canadian laws about privacy. The blistering pace with the technology industry is moving forward is making it difficult for wireless companies and regulators to keep pace with innovations that might violate policies.
A recent example of CRTC’s action is the shutdown of a mobile app called TrapCall. The app was used by consumers to reveal private numbers, record conversations during a call and also block nuisance calls. Five months into its release in Canada, TrapCall was discontinued by its developer, TelTech Systems. According to the app owners they had to do so because of pressure from CRTC.
As with the example above, the CRTC is trying to protect subscriber privacy. The agency has voiced its concerns that there is a growing trend of apps like TrapCall that eventually start being sold in the Canadian markets. The CRTC has warned that this wave of apps may over step the bounds of personal security. The regulatory authority says that revealing private caller information can be dangerous for users like social workers and the police.
In the start of the 1990’s CRTC allowed companies to offer their user’s caller ID with the condition that the telecoms also offer a service that allows users to make their number private. This was supported by an argument that used victims of domestic violence as an example. The authorities argued that women that call their family members or to locations that are known to their abuser could put their safety at jeopardy if the call id revealed their location.
The makers of TrapCall have a argued that the regulators are too concerned about the safety of people using the private number service and not about the harassment being faced by users at the hands of telemarketers. They also believe that the stance of the CRTC will stop innovation in the country.
Source: The Globe and Mail
Photo: TrapCall
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