Robokiller counted 15 billion political texts in 2022, and one spam filter CEO estimates 25 to 30 billion this year.

Political text messages are flooding US phones ahead of the midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3rd. Call-blocking company Robokiller counted 15 billion political texts in 2022, and YouMail CEO Alex Quilici estimates 25 billion to 30 billion this year, roughly flat to 10 percent above 2024.

A 2023 Supreme Court decision made it easier to send some mass calls and texts without consent, and political calls and texts stay exempt from do-not-call-list rules. PIRG consumer watchdog director Teresa Murray calls that the bad news and points to the election ending as the good news.

For operators, the practical lever is reporting rather than blocking. Sending stop or flagging a number as spam notifies the carrier, and enough reports in a window can push a provider to block or label it. Scam messages ride alongside legitimate ones in the same stream.

Murray expects the messages to stop once results land, which should ease the stream within days of Tuesday. Operators should watch whether carriers tighten spam labeling on repeat-reported numbers ahead of the next election cycle.

What matters

• Call-blocking firm Robokiller logged 15 billion political texts in 2022, and volume is climbing.
• Political calls and texts sit outside do-not-call rules, so carriers and filters carry the load.
• Watch whether carriers label or block repeat-reported numbers once the election results land.

Why it matters

Watch whether carriers label or block repeat-reported numbers once the election results land.

This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by The Verge. Source reference: https://www.theverge.com/policy/1023899/political-texts-midterm-elections.

Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.