Philter

Philter will be a program designed to conveniently filter out illegal robo calls while still protecting our privacy. The program will screen all robo calls and quickly recognize patterns that have been repeated and sent to many phone numbers. Legal robo calls will go through a brief registration process when they are recorded so that the filtering program will recognize them as OK. This will work similarly to programs that recognize spam typing on the internet. If a robo call uses the same recording for hundreds of calls, the program will quickly recognize the patterns in the spam call and if it is not registered as an OK call, it will not go through.

Does it work? (weighted at 50%)

This program could be a service provided by phone companies. Your privacy would not be affected because the program is only monitoring incoming calls for patterns of robo calls, not actually eavesdropping. There could be laws requiring phone companies to provide this service for free so that everyone can benefit. I know this kind of program can work because it is used on many websites to block spam typing programs. Many programs recognize and block URLs, repetitive posts, and inappropriate language. The only way a robo caller can adapt to this is if they are approved and registered in the OK database.

Is it easy to use? (weighted at 25%)

A consumer would not have to learn how to use this system. It would be a simple screening process done by computers before it even reaches the prospective phone-answerer.

Can it be rolled out? (weighted at 25%)

This project will require minimal funding. It would require its own program and a way for legal robo calls to be registered. This can be done simply by calling a local phone company (the phone companies will have access to the OK robo call database) and recording your call with them.