Google looks to tackle longstanding RCS spam in India — but not alone

Google is addressing persistent RCS spam issues in India by collaborating with Bharti Airtel, the country’s second-largest telecom operator. This partnership integrates Airtel’s network-level spam filtering into the RCS ecosystem, aiming to protect users from unwanted messages and fraud. India presents a significant challenge due to its large mobile user base and growing digital payments. Airtel had previously hesitated to fully align with Google’s RCS until spam controls were in place. The integration will enable real-time checks on business messaging, including sender verification and spam detection. Google intends to potentially expand this model globally to standardize RCS security. Industry analysts believe the partnership’s success will be measured by reductions in spam, user complaints, and fraud, as well as improved engagement with legitimate messages. Airtel has already blocked billions of spam calls and messages, contributing to a significant drop in financial losses.

(Source：TechCrunch)