WA Attorney General Wants Call-Block Technology Added to Cellphones

No word on what cost it might incur for consumers, but on the surface, we agree with this idea.

For years, call-block technology has existed for land lines.  You can enter an unwanted phone number, and it will automatically be blocked from even accessing your phone.

Now Attorney General Bob Ferguson has sent a letter to the major cell retailers and manufacturers, requested they implement similar technology for cellphones.

Ferguson believes that although it cannot prevent all fraud attempts, consumers will greatly benefit from being able to take numbers they've received annoying or even dangerous calls from, and block them.

There's a valid reason Ferguson and his officials are seeking this technology. From Ferguson's statement Wednesday:

“Every year, our offices are flooded with consumer complaints pleading for a solution to stop intrusive robocalls. Your companies are now poised to offer your customers the help they need. We urge you to act without delay.”

There is the national Do Not Call list that now applies to cellphones, but many are wary about giving their personal data to this list.  Consumer studies show people would far rather be able to block calls on their end, and control things themselves - especially in this age of growing cyber and cellphone fraud and identity theft. More from the letter:

"Attorney General Ferguson noted that call-blocking options already exist for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service (NoMoRobo.com) and Android cell phones (Call Control) and called upon the phone carriers to move quickly to implement these options and inform consumers."

The Attorneys General from 47 other states have signed off on the letter as well.