Robo: The Computer Corner

by Charles Miller

Without a doubt, one of the most universally despised annoyances of modern life is the robocall. I have one friend who keeps his cell phone turned off most of the time because of this; he only has a cell because his bank required it. This week it was in the news that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has published a new set of step-by-step guides showing consumers how to turn on call and text-blocking features already built into most smart phones. And wow! What a good job they did. Point your web browser to www.fcc.gov/blockit to find an easy-to-use set of instructions.

Every week I was on the receiving end of several of these annoying robocalls, but in recent months they seem to have completely stopped. More on that in a moment. The Caller ID on my phone's screen usually shows a number I do not recognize. When I thought I needed to call the number back, it was invariably the case that the number was a fake and I reach a recording saying the number does not exist. Scammers and advertisers use technology that generates a different fake Caller ID number every time they call, so it does no good if you block the number.

Regular readers will be aware that over the years I have been a harsh critic of Google, so it is only fair that I give credit where credit is due, and in this case high praise. I have not had to answer a single robocall on my Android smart phone in months! When I look at the "recents" in the call log, I frequently see strange numbers marked as "Spam" or "Scam" and I realize my phone never rang for those calls. So far, not a single number Google blocked this way was a call from someone I wanted to communicate with.

Google uses a multi-layered system to identify and block junk phone calls on Android phones on which users have enabled the blocking. The process combines user settings, device-level analysis, Google's network-level data, and of course a bit of Artificial Intelligence.

The user of an Android phone can manually add numbers to their block list, but as mentioned earlier this is almost always a wasted effort. Thankfully, Google maintains a massive database of spam numbers. If a number is reported by thousands of other users as being spam, scam, or unsolicited advertising, the number can go into the database of numbers that can be blocked.

Where this really gets interesting is the fact that the system is efficiently blocking those fake phone numbers I mentioned earlier. Google has very effectively utilized Machine Learning & AI Analysis to detect patterns that indicate spam or robocalls, even if a number has not yet been explicitly reported. Part of this is behavioral analysis that spots patterns typical of scammers. Also, Google partners with some cell phone carriers to cooperate in flagging fake Caller ID numbers.

Google's approach to the problem of unwanted robocalls certainly does appear to be privacy-conscious. Much of the detection of unwanted calls happens on the user's smart phone with a minimum of anonymous data being sent to Google for analysis. For example, a number that your smart phone might report as potentially-spam is one that is not in your contacts and/or one you have never called. And the analysis that flags an unknown number as possible spam, it can all take place before the time your phone rings three times. That is why a growing number of people let the phone ring three or four times before answering unidentified numbers. Scammers and advertisers making millions of unsolicited calls do not want to waste time if you are not going to answer, so many of them hang up before the third or fourth ring.

Of course if you have concerns about any of this automation causing you to miss calls, you can always disable the spam-blocking features and answer for yourself all those calls Google would have marked as "Likely Scam."

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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