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FTC Announces $50k In Prizes For Robocaller Trap Software

Posted by timothy on from the looking-at-your-karen-from-the-service-department dept.

crazyhorse44 that the Federal Trade Commission announced this week that it is launching two new robocall contests challenging the public to develop a crowd-source honeypot and better analyze data from an existing honeypot. A honeypot is an information system that may be used by government, private and academic partners to lure and analyze robocalls. The challenges are part of the FTC's long-term multi-pronged effort to combat illegal robocallers and contestants of one of the challenges will compete for $25,000 in a top prize. As part of Robocalls: Humanity Strikes Back, the FTC is asking contestants to create a technical solution for consumers that will identify unwanted robocalls received on landlines or mobile phones, and block and forward those calls to a honeypot. A qualifying phase [launched Wednesday] and runs through June 15, 2015 at 10:00 p.m. ET; and a second and final phase concludes at DEF CON 23 on Aug. 9, 2015.

3 of 79 comments (clear)

  1. Dial *666 by Macdude · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Have the phone companies implement a *666 system. After receiving a robocall the recipient hangs, then picks up and dials *666. The phone company keeps a count and reports numbers with some large number of *666 reports to drone death-squads.

    That last bit might be a tad extreme...

    --
    "Grab them by the pussy" -- President of the United States of America
  2. Re:my solution by Checkered+Daemon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My solution is also me. I answer all robocalls (even the pre-recorded ones) with "Hello. This call is being recorded". I've quickly gone from around 3 or 4 a day to almost zero. Guess they're scared of the fines, and it looks like they share information on who's after them.

  3. Re:Not a good idea. by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1, Interesting

    At one point these numbers are owned by some company.

    Phone numbers are passed around like pocket change. Who has control today is not who has control tommorow.

    But beyond that, if I buy a MagickJack today and send out 1,000,000 spams and 100,000 robo dials tomorow, how can the "owner" of that number be held responsible? Of course common sense says they cam't.

    Unless, of course, you are willing to accept an invasive personal background check whenever you want to get a phone or chnge your phone number.

    Is that what you want? Background checks to get phone numbers?

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