The Spanish government plans to ban companies from making “cold” phone calls to users by introducing a mandatory requirement for telecommunications operators to block calls from firms that do not have a special digital code. About this informs AFP.
Consumer Protection Minister Pablo Bustinduy explained that these measures are aimed at protecting the “well-being and privacy of consumers.” He noted that commercial calls must be clearly identified with a “specific code, a specific prefix” and operators will be required to block all calls that do not meet this requirement.
In addition, the government intends to void any contracts entered into as a result of such unsolicited calls. Companies will also be required to renew consumers’ consent to receive commercial calls at least every two years.
According to Hiya’s research of 39 countries in 2023, 42% of all calls in Spain in the third quarter were spam, the second highest rate among European countries. According to Bustinduy, the new restrictions will be implemented through amendments to the draft law on the protection of consumer rights, which is planned to be submitted to the parliament “in the coming weeks”.
