Why The Robocall Solution Takes So Long
ACA International highlighted an opinion piece about TCPA from the Washington Times that lauds the FCC’s efforts but gives a warning to “avoid painting too broad a brush.” But this conversation also brings up the question, why is there no good solution yet for this robocall problem?
Problems Grow Worse with Scale
Jared Whitley, the author of the opinion piece, said in his opening statement that his smartphone has some capability of determining if a call is “likely a scam or not”. But it isn’t perfect, neither are the government agencies in charge of putting the filters in place. And that’s a very good point.
And if we can’t fix the solution on a smaller scale, we can’t fix it nationwide. We’re talking about millions of calls per day. Sifting through those requires huge amounts of manpower, which is expensive, or a very robust algorithm. But algorithms themselves are not perfect.
Algorithms Come With Their Own Set of Problems
Advancements in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and algorithms have become so amazing that we sometimes take for granted how complex they are. We just notice that they are just programs when we eventually see their limits.
One notable example of this is how NASA made a million-dollar mistake when they didn’t include a hyphen in the code causing a malfunction during takeoff. At the end of the day, algorithms, no matter how “smart”, are still just programs that need human input.
There are also multiple cases in which a mistake in the algorithm can affect millions of users. The sad truth is that a one-size-fits-all-solution does not fit everyone at all.
We Need A Solution, But We Can Wait
My point here is this. Yes, we desperately need a permanent solution to this problem. I’ve written articles about the reasons why we need it as soon as possible. But I fully understand the scale of the problem and I know that coming up with a solution needs time and effort.
We’re not asking for a fast but temporary solution. What we need is a long-term solution for the future. Just like Mr. Whitley, I’m just giving a reminder not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
We need to talk about this. Message me here or email me at [email protected]