India mandates spam app data sharing with telcos

India's telecom regulator TRAI now requires caller-ID and call-management apps to share user spam reports with a blockchain platform run by telecom operators. The move aims to strengthen anti-spam enforcement by connecting app-level reports with telecom industry infrastructure. Truecaller, which counts over 350 million Indian users, called the rule anti-competitive, arguing it forces a one-way transfer of commercially valuable data to rivals. The amendments also bring AI voice agents and robocalls under TRAI's existing commercial communications framework, requiring companies to declare automated calling systems in advance or risk being treated as spammers.