SK telecom task force to combat spam texts

CEO Ryu Young-sang. [Courtesy of SK telecom Co.]

SK telecom Co. has set up a special task force (TF) to combat illegal spam texts and mitigate their effects, the company said Tuesday.

The TF comes as spam texts have become more numerous and sophisticated. The company previously had units that dealt with cyber threats such as voice phishing, but the increase in spam texts made this new TF necessary.

With the TF’s launch, the company improved filtering measures by reducing the update frequency for filtering policies from once a day to every 10 minutes and tightening the criteria for registering numbers associated with illegal spam.

The identity verification application, PASS, will now include features for monitoring and filtering spam texts alongside artificial intelligence (AI)-driven detection and notifications for “bait” texts.

SK telecom will also take steps to limit excessive spam texts that are sent by SMS providers in line with obligations and compliance terms in agreements with business messaging services. These policies have already been communicated to Korean SMS companies.

The TF also aims to advance technology for detecting and blocking spam and to develop a system for coordinated responses to cybercrime. For its part, SK telecom will work with other major telecommunications companies to create a cooperative system for spam classification and blocking solutions.