Android prompts me to “Block and Report Spam” for spam phone calls, in both the Phone app for regular phone calls and the Voice app for calls through Google Voice.

There is no way to report spam in either app without blocking the number.

Spammers and scammers change their phone numbers frequently. Daily or more, in the case of sophisticated large operations. Those numbers get reassigned to innocent users, who will forever be blocked from calling me.

“Dumb” phone number blocks should only last for maybe a month or a year, not forever. And we should have “smart” blocks, that sync to phone number registration databases and expire when the number changes hands.

This is going to become an increasingly impactful problem if we keep using phone numbers as identifiers while most phone number users don’t keep the same number for decades.

  • johnsdani@infosec.pubEnglish
    1·
    5 days ago

    Absolutely, the points you’re raising are spot on! It’s frustrating how current blocking methods can be a bit of a double edged sword. We’re preventing spam, sure, but at the cost of potentially blocking innocent future users of those recycled numbers. Your idea for smart blocks is a game-changer imagine the peace of mind knowing that our defenses adapt as numbers change hands! It’s definitely time for a tech upgrade to ensure that our efforts to dodge unwanted calls don’t accidentally push away legitimate contacts. Speaking of keeping up with the times, ensuring you can pay online securely is just as crucial as managing who can reach you!

    • lemmy_user_838586@lemmy.mlEnglish
      3·
      9 months ago

      It won’t burn down, carriers won’t care. To them its a customer issue, they’re providing the service just fine, so their job is done. Whether or not your number is blocked by other clients is your problem. Only class of customer they might care about is business lines, because you’re paying them to have better services, uptime, etc, etc.

  • jqubed@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    9 months ago

    I think the bigger problem is why is the phone system configured in such a way that anyone can just claim to be calling from a number they don’t own? There should be some sort of authentication protocol built into the system to prove the person calling actually is from that number. Then it would be easier to charge someone for violating the Do Not Call registry. Once I had a call that Google identified as being a small local bakery, but on the other end was someone trying to sell me an extended warranty for my car. I’m sure the scammer’s software just picks random numbers, and it hurts legitimate phone users in the process.