SK Telecom (017670.KS) users can now report voice spam directly through the company's A. (A-dot) phone application.
The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) said on the 12th that it had linked SK Telecom's A. phone app to its spam reporting system to make it easier for users to report voice spam and to secure higher-quality reporting data. A. phone is an artificial intelligence calling service developed in-house by SK Telecom.
Under the arrangement, SK Telecom users can download the A. phone app from app stores and use the voice spam reporting function regardless of what device they own. KISA's simplified reporting service, which lets users file a report directly from the screen on which a spam call is received, had previously been available only through the default phone app on Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) devices. It is now open to users of a mobile carrier's own phone app.
Users do not need to write up a separate report. They can check the recording of the call they want to report in the A. phone app's recent call log and press the "report and block spam" button. Pressing the button submits the call recording file and the originating number together.
KISA said it plans to use the partnership as a starting point for adding spam reporting functions to the AI-based phone app services of KT and LG Uplus. "To respond effectively to voice spam, it is important to create an environment in which users can report it easily and conveniently," a KISA official said. "We will continue to expand cooperation with mobile carriers and handset makers to reduce blind spots in reporting, and we will strengthen voice spam analysis and blocking based on the reporting data we accumulate."