Do you find advertisement messages annoying or do you not want to waste your time on answering anonymous call? I do. From now on annoying messages and unwanted message will be gone.
My dad is very concern about unknown's sending him spam/hoax/ads messages and receiving calls from telemarketer so I thought that this would be something beneficial for people who are like him. In this blog entry you will find out how to prevent organisations from contacting you without your clear consent.
What is DNC Registry?
The Do No Call (DNC) Registry is a database that stores subscriber telephone number. Under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA), organisations will have to check with the DNC Registry to ensure that they do not send unsolicited telemarketing messages to consumers who have registered.
Who is PDPA?
The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) is a Singapore Government statutory body established on 2 January 2013 to administer and enforce the Personal Data Protection Act. They recognise both the rights of individual to protect their personal data and the needs of organisations to collect, use or disclose personal data for legitimate and reasonable purposes.
What is marketing messages?
This is a good example of marketing message:
Non-telemarketing messages, such as those relating to surveys and customer service, are excluded from the scope of the DNC Registry.
What is not a marketing message:
- Service call eg. reminder of and appointment
- Market survey or research
- Charitable or religious causes eg. donations to a charitable organisation
- Business-to-Business eg. corporate insurance as opposed to personal insurance
Why register?
If you hate receiving annoying messages and call then this would be a good reason to register. After registration organisations cannot send unsolicited telemarketing messages to the phone number you have registered. It help you to reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing messages and calls receive.
How to register? (Consumer)
You can start registering TODAY!
There are three kind of registration for consumer to choose from:
- No voice call
- No text message
- No fax message
Registration Method:
- Online registration
- SMS Registration
Send an SMS with the message ‘DNC’ to the following numbers:
78772 - Express registration on all 3 Registers
78773 - Express registration on No Voice Call Register only
78774 - Express registration on No Text Message Register only
78771 - Guided menu for all options (including to deregister)
- Toll Free Number Registration
You can call any of the toll free numbers listed below.
1800 248 0772 - Express registration on all 3 Registers
1800 248 0773 - Express registration on No Voice Call Register only
1800 248 0774 - Express registration on No Text Message Register only
1800 248 0771 - (Available in 4 languages) Voice guided menu for all options (including to deregister)
Things to take note:
You make still receive telemarketing calls after registration:
- Within 30 days after registration (for registration on or after 2 July 2014)
- Within 60 days after registration (for registration before 2 July 2014)
- If you have given clear consent to specific organisations (before/after registration) for telemarketing.
- From overseas telemarketing messages for overseas product and service only (no link to any Singapore organisations)
What to do? (Organisations)
We all know telemarketing is an effective way to reach out to consumer when doing sales. So, what will happen to the telemarketer after you have registered under the DNC Registry?
Organisations will have to check your number with the DNC Registry to ensure that you have registered for the DNC Registry before conducting telemarketing activities, unless clear consent has been obtain that you allows that organisation to contact you. Additionally, organisations will need to provide contact information in the telemarketing messages and ensure that the calling line identity is displayed when making telemarketing calls.
For organisations who are not sending non-marketing messages they do not need to check with the registry.
The personal data protection act and what it means to youOrganisations will have to check your number with the DNC Registry to ensure that you have registered for the DNC Registry before conducting telemarketing activities, unless clear consent has been obtain that you allows that organisation to contact you. Additionally, organisations will need to provide contact information in the telemarketing messages and ensure that the calling line identity is displayed when making telemarketing calls.
For organisations who are not sending non-marketing messages they do not need to check with the registry.
Upcoming consumer talks
Date: 15 January 2014, Wednesday
Time: 7:00PM - 8:30PM
Venue: Central Public Library
Admission is free, to register click here
Knowing your choices - Personal Data Protection Act & Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act
Date: 18 January 2014, Saturday
Time: 9:30AM - 12:00PM
Venue: NTUC Centre
Fee: $5.00 (exclusive GST)
To register click here
Do watch this video to understand more about the DNC Registry:
More details can be found on the Personal Data Protection Commission website.
