Telmarketers take to WhatsApp to beat Trai curbs
24 May 2014
Telemarketers have found a way around the rules Trai formulated to curb pesky calls and messages.
The telecom regulator had capped marketing messages at 200 SMS/day but with WhatApp tech savvy telemarketers have found a way to keep a step ahead of the regulator.
The Economic Times reported the popular messaging platform was recently used to offer discounted fare at about 200 restaurants to a software professional in Gurgaon. The same professional had received a similar message offering discount from a spa a month back.
WhatsApp, the most popular instant messaging service in India boasts over 50 million active users in the country, and over 500 million across the world and what is more important to telemarketers there are no rules or guidelines for sending messages on WhatsApp in India.
However, sending bulk messages does amount to violation of WhatsApp's policy, according to the report.
The rules that apply to unwanted marketing calls and SMSes do not apply to messages sent on Whatsapp, and the social media is largely unregulated, with some telemarketers taking advantage of the services that allow their customers to send hundreds and thousands of messages to Whatsapp users.
