Canadian Do-Not-Call Registry Backfires

The millions of Canadians who placed their telephone number on the national do-not-call registry thought they would finally be free from those annoying telemarketer calls. Unfortunately, the registry has had the opposite effect. Instead of using it as a reference of who NOT to call, telemarketers now have a verified list of accurate numbers and names from which to pull.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) launched the registry last September, and offers it online to telemarketers for a small fee. In fact, telemarketers are required by law to subscribe to the registry. The problem is that some of these telemarketers are using the list for evil instead of for good, particularly those based overseas. It's almost impossible to track these operations down and make them pay the $15,000 fine that Canadian law specifies for misusing the registry.  

The Consumers' Association of Canada is receiving thousands of complaints from those who had expected the registry to eliminate telemarketing calls, not multiply them. The federal privacy commissioner and Consumers' Association of Canada are investigating ways to fix this breach of privacy. Until then, your phone might be ringing more than usual.