[jwie]

The first order problem with spam calls/sms is you probably opted in to something. Most spam, like it or not, you asked for, and they can almost certainly prove it.

The TCPA lawsuit business was so lucrative for years that a lot of effort goes into producing proof that the contact is legal. Rather than stopping spam calls these laws basically guarantee spam, but legal spam.

Also carriers have pretty well cracked illegal spam through their own analytics. Some still happens, but it’s cleaned up extremely fast.

[troydavis]

> The first order problem with spam calls/sms is you probably opted in to something. Most spam, like it or not, you asked for, and they can almost certainly prove it.

At least in my case, this isn't true. When reporting SMS spam, I've often told the carrier to ask their customer for proof that I opted in (because I didn't). None have - again, because I didn't opt in to it or anything else.

I don't know how true your assertion is among the general population, but my experience may at least be representative of other HN readers. Many of us don't randomly give out our mobile numbers.

[iAMkenough]

In my case, the old dead guy that had my number before gave his number to some booth at the state fair (or so one spammer claimed). And then that number got sold to all sorts of medical scammers and political campaigns.

I always ask what my name is when an unknown caller calls, and 90% of the time it’s the old dead guy.

I did not opt in, yet here I am getting a few dozen calls per week at all hours of the day.

[simfree]

For TCPA compliance purposes, they should be pulling the deactivated numbers list (which Twilio offers for free), checking the do not call list, and querying the reassigned numbers database to establish safe harbor against TCPA lawsuits.

This is really expensive to do (the RND and Do Not Call lists are very expensive to query, the FCC needs to make these cheaply available) and automation for doing these queries is not offered by most phone providers.

[balderdash]

This is comically false - unless you mean that by providing my phone number to someone I’ve opted in (and I’m not talking about buried in some TOS (which is still BS), but say my local dry cleaner who spams me because I provided my phone number when they asked for my name and phone number when I dropped my clothes off.

[Retr0id]

I can assure you, I did not ask for the SMSes telling me to go pay outstanding postage fees at a fake website.

[fortran77]

This is easily proved wrong. If I get a brand new cell phone number, I still get calls for complete scams even though that number, as far as I've owned it, never opted in to anything.

[billpg]

Are numbers ever really brand new, as in you are the first to ever have that number?

[fortran77]

Probably not, but that's not the problem of the person with the new number.

[ipython]

I can assure you I have never opted in to being called by random Indians claiming to be social security employees.

It’s open enrollment for Medicare, and I can also assure you that not only do I not qualify for Medicare but I have also not opted in to incessant Medicare spam.

I also never opted in for political messaging.

I also never opted in for calls regarding Camp Lejune injuries.

I also never opted in for calls about automobile accident injuries.

I also never opted in to be contacted for final expense insurance.

Shall I go on? Carriers most certainly have not “cracked” illegal spam through analytics. My carrier stops about 20-50% of the spam I receive.

The TCPA is great to cut down on the onshore businesses using illegal telemarketing to promote their business, but does nothing for the offshore scams. I’ve used TCPA in the past and helped carriers identify and sue telemarketers so I am very familiar with it.