In 2018, the new Law against telemarketing will come into force. Here's what will change for users and how they can defend themselves from harassing phone calls
Calls at any time of day, even during the lunch break or dinner. We are talking about phone calls from call centers, a plague that affects millions of Italians. And not only on the home phone, but also and above all on the cell phone.
But very soon things will change. After having completed all the parliamentary iter, the bill has been approved that tightens the rules and sanctions against harassing telemarketing and sets the stakes that both call centers and companies will have to respect. Otherwise they will face quite heavy fines. A fundamental role will be played by the Guarantor for privacy that will take in management all the reports made by users. Here's what changes with the new bill against harassing telemarketing and how users will be able to defend themselves against calls from call centers.
The registration to the Opposition Register
With the new bill the Opposition Register will be enhanced. Users will be able to enroll on the registry, in addition to the numbers in the phone book, also reserved numbers and cell phone numbers. A novelty that will make the tool much more powerful. In addition, by enrolling in the Registry of Oppositions all concessions given previously will be cancelled. What does this mean? That in the case in which the user had given consent to be contacted by a call center (even in a sneaky way by signing sheets while shopping), by entering the number in the Register of Objections can no longer be disturbed. In addition, call centers will no longer be able to make calls using automatic dialing systems.
If by mistake you give your consent to be contacted by a telemarketing operator, even after you have been entered in the register, you will have to register again and the consent will automatically lapse.
To register in the Register of Oppositions you just have to fill out an online form and wait a few days for the application to be accepted. Everything is very simple and also free of charge.
Exceptions
There are exceptions to which call center companies can "appeal". They will be able to contact the users in two cases: if they are their customers or if they have cancelled their contract no more than 30 days ago. But even in these cases users will be able to defend themselves against harassing telemarketing by sending an e-mail to the company. The modalities will be decided soon by the Guarantor for privacy.
What to do if you are contacted by a call center
If we are registered in the Register of Oppositions and we are contacted by a call center, we can report it to the Guarantor who will act accordingly. The new bill also makes the beneficiaries of telemarketing campaigns co-responsible. To be affected, therefore, will be not only the call center companies, but also telephone operators, multinational electricity or gas companies that promote the advertising campaign. Moreover, with the new legislation on GPDR (General Data Protection Regulation) companies risk a fine of up to 4% of their annual turnover.