OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC is continuing its crackdown on telemarketers making robocalls, announcing Tuesday that it has dinged nine individuals and companies in several countries for calling Canadians whose numbers are registered on the National Do Not Call List.
The Commission said that its recent enforcement action has resulted in over $490,000 in penalties and one citation. A citation is a procedural administrative action that alleges violation(s) and notes the specific corrective action to be taken within a certain time frame.
Since January 2015, the CRTC, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office have been working together as part of a concerted effort to target telemarketers that use automatic dialing-announcing devices (a.k.a. robocalls) in their respective jurisdictions.
“Together with our partners, we have conducted a sustained campaign to investigate those who disregard the rules and make non-compliant robocalls”, said chief compliance and enforcement officer Manon Bombardier, in a statement. “We are proud of the results, which has seen dozens of individuals and companies in several countries being held to account for their actions. We will continue to work collaboratively to protect the privacy of Canadians and to combat unsolicited calls.”
In related news, the CRTC also said Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with ten international enforcement agencies to fight unlawful spam and unsolicited telecommunications.
The other agencies are:
- The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
- The United States Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission
- The Australian Communications and Media Authority
- The Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets
- The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office and National Trading Standards Intelligence Team
- The Korea Internet & Security Agency
- The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs
- The South Africa National Consumer Commission
The agencies have committed to sharing information and intelligence, where permitted by the laws of its jurisdiction, regarding unsolicited communications.
“Unsolicited calls and spam continue to be a nuisance in Canada and in other jurisdictions”, said CRTC chairman and CEO Jean-Pierre Blais, in that statement. “This agreement sends a strong message that the international enforcement community is committed to putting a stop to these unlawful activities and to holding those responsible to account, wherever they are located. We look forward to collaborating more closely with our partners to protect Canadians privacy in their homes and on their mobile devices.”
