Bulk messaging, social media, instant messaging and digital marketing have all come under much scrutiny this year with GDPR and POPI starting to take effect in order to protect consumers from fraud and predatory practices. The shift has inspired industry moderators and forums to take note and are beginning to follow suit with MEF recently launching their new Trust in Enterprise Messaging (TEM) service.
TEM is supported by an industry Code of Conduct for A2P (Applications to Person) SMS in collaboration with 30+ participants of MEF’s Future of Messaging Programme, including MNOs, messaging companies and signalling providers, the rave reviews project that our future is that much safer.
What is TEM all about?
In a nutshell, the new service is self-regulatory and its objective is to quicken market clean-up and inform enterprise messaging solution buyers about the threats of fraudulent practices and poor procurement processes.
What is the Code of Conduct?
The Code of Conduct, the first of its kind to directly address the 12 most common types of fraud in the SMS eco-system will have a significant impact to both consumers and businesses provided that Enterprises demand that their suppliers sign the Code. Herein lies the challenge; many Enterprises are price sensitive for a good reason, and they will need to put their principles and their commitment to stamping out fraud ahead of their natural desire to achieve the lowest price in order to make a difference.
This may sound counter-productive if you're focusing on the profit motive but ensuring that the industry as a whole performs in an ethical manner will mean the market will be able to attract substantial confidence and investment and thus increase profitability over time.
What will it mean for the industry?
Rob Malcolm, VP Marketing and Online Sales at CLX Communications states that:
“The Code of Conduct, the first of its kind to directly address the 12 most common types of fraud in the SMS eco-system will have a significant impact to both consumers and businesses provided that Enterprises demand that their suppliers sign the Code.”
Rob adds further that the code is a baseline for safeguarding everyone in the eco-system, and SMS value chain performs acceptably and takes steps to protect consumers, their networks, and work together to monitor and prevent future fraud.
He admires MEF for getting so many key stakeholders to agree on the code in an industry that thrives on secrecy and having the competitive edge is sometimes exclusively based on knowledge of a particular market.
For Oisin Lunny, Chief Evangelist, OpenMarket
“The Code of Conduct will mean that global enterprises, and the companies that support them, are suitably aligned to meet this exciting new market opportunity. In a world where “trust is the new oil” I believe the Code of Conduct is a real milestone for our industry.”
Ira Cohen, VP, Business Development and Marketing, MMDSmart points out that due to an increase of phishing, vishing and smishing and many other identity theft scams, in order for SMS not to suffer the same fate as bulk SMS, this code of conduct and service should definitely be in place.
The future of messaging
TEM seems to be a welcomed addition to enforcing industry best practices and with such glowing reviews by some of the leading providers within the industry, we can be sure that safety and security of consumers data will become a priority. As TEM begins to roll out we expect the adoption process to be swift among industry leaders.
As fraud and online scams are becoming more prominent it is assuring to know that MEF and bulk messaging providers around the world are serious about making SMS a safer and more secure service.
Contact us for innovative solutions
iTouch is one of the few messaging companies in Africa that abide by GDPR and POPI security standards and ensure all our messaging products continuously meet new regulatory requirements. If you need assistance in building effective messaging solutions for your business. Contact us to discuss bulk messaging and marketing options that will suit your messaging needs.
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