Don’t let Bell use AI to block calls, CRTC hears

Some groups are calling for the CRTC to put the brakes on a request by BCE Inc. to test out an artificial intelligence system for blocking nuisance calls, saying not enough is known about the way the program would collect data from users and that it raises privacy concerns. In July, Bell asked the CRTC if it could conduct a 90-day test of a system for blocking “certain known, verified, fraudulent scam voice telephony calls” on its networks. The CRTC had initially ordered the telecom companies in December 2018 to set up call blocking system for numbers that don’t conform to “established numbering plans,” and told them to do it by December of this year. While Bell included details about how the call blocking system would work in its original request, the criteria and the company’s methodology were filed confidentially with the CRTC, meaning they were redacted from the public versions of the document. In a submission filed to the CRTC last week, the Canadian chapter of the Internet Society said it has no problem with Bell trying to block calls, but “strongly opposes allowing Bell to collect metadata on calls which merely transit its network and in addition block them.” The Internet Society also objected to Bell’s having no opt-out provision for the trial in its submission. The group pointed to Bell’s assertion that the “blocking would impact all calls that transit or terminate on our network” as evidence that Bell will be collecting data from the process. “Given the scope outlined above, it is clear Bell will be collecting data from all calls, not just calls from Bell customers, which raises serious privacy concerns,” the Internet Society’s submission reads. “Bell states this data today will only be used for the purpose of training the call blocking system, however, there is nothing stopping Bell from using this data in the future for other purposes, such as profiling customers to targeted marketing campaigns." In its responses to the CRTC’s request for information, Bell wrote that “calls would not be blocked without human review of the calls or call patterns.” In its submission, the Internet Society said this raised further privacy concerns. “It is not clear at all what Bell means by ‘human review of calls’ – does this imply that Bell staff would be listening to the audio of these calls? If so, this raises some very serious concerns,” the Internet Society’s submission reads, and further points out that Bell does not say how long it will hold on to data generated from the system. In another submission, the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) also objected to Bell blocking calls that don’t originate on but only transit its network, as the telecom giant admitted in its original request, pointing out that Bell is the largest Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) in Canada. “Bell should not be permitted to experiment on voice traffic that does not belong to it,” CNOC wrote in its submission, adding that it believes “there is no guarantee that Bell Canada’s call-blocking system will function as intended and it may block legitimate traffic belonging to other carriers,” causing harm.

Don’t let Bell use AI to block calls, CRTC hears

Brief | October 21, 2019

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Don’t let Bell use AI to block calls, CRTC hears

Brief | October 21, 2019

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