FAS RECORDS AN INCREASE IN VIOLATIONS IN ADVERTISING RECEIVED ON SUBSCRIBERS ' PHONES WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT

The Agency, jointly with telecom operators, is considering solutions to the current situation with spam calls and messages

In 2020, the FAS Russia considered more than 16 thousand applications for violations of advertising legislation. Almost 5 thousand violations were suppressed, and fines of 77.5 million rubles were imposed. More than 2 thousand instructions were issued.

The largest number of violations in 2020 was recorded in advertising received on subscribers' phones without their consent (spam calls and SMS) - 21% of the total number of violations. At the same time, in 2019, there were 12.86% of such violations.

Today, robotic calls are gaining strength, so annoying to consumers, and the Authority sees the need for response measures.

In January 2021, a meeting of representatives of the FAS Russia and mobile operators was held, where options for solving the current situation with spam calls and messages were considered.

“In 2020, we record an increase in violations of this type of advertising in comparison with 2019. In solving this problem, the participation of the operators themselves is of great importance. Today, they are developing special technical solutions and algorithms that will help protect subscribers, they are in a high stage of readiness. We can find and fine violators, but there are thousands of them, and it is wrong to chase down each of them. We need to systematically solve this problem together with telecom operators,” Maxim Shaskolskiy, Head of the FAS Russia said during the session of the Antimonopoly Forum 2021.