TRAI, Apple at loggerheads on DND application

Recently, the telecom regulator in a bid to counter pesky calls has ordered all service providers to ensure within six months that all smartphone devices registered on its networks support the functioning of the ‘do not disturb’ (DND) app. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) order further says that any phone that does not support the functioning of DND application should be derecognised.

The DND app, developed by TRAI helps users report unsolicited messages or calls. There's one hitch however the application, in its current form also seeks access to calls and messages on the phone that it has been installed on and this has been a major bone of contention between TRAI and American tech giant Apple, which refuses to make the application available to its users. Apple believes that the application in question violates privacy.