Brazilian Senate Committee Approves Bill to Limit Telemarketing and Debt Collection Calls
A Brazilian Senate committee has approved a bill aimed at reducing unwanted calls from telemarketing and debt collection companies. The bill, passed by the Senate's Oversight and Control Committee (CTFC) on Wednesday, May 8th, will proceed to the Chamber of Deputies for consideration unless an appeal is filed. Senator Laércio Oliveira (PP-SE) reported on the legislation, which establishes a national registry to be regulated and overseen by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel). This registry will prevent companies from contacting individuals who have requested to be removed from their calling lists.
The proposed law mandates that companies must remove phone numbers from their databases if consumers indicate they do not know the person being sought during a call. Companies will be required to maintain electronic records of these requests. The system, which will link phone numbers to the CPF or CNPJ of the line owners, will allow businesses to check the registry beforehand to confirm if a consumer consents to commercial calls. The bill also includes sanctions for non-compliance, ranging from warnings to daily fines of up to R$50,000 for companies that continue to call numbers that have requested blocking.
Senator Oliveira stated that the project addresses a significant public demand, particularly from consumers experiencing harassment from undue debt collection and persistent calls. The legislation aims to rebalance the relationship between companies and citizens by recognizing that a consumer's refusal to acknowledge the person sought should be sufficient to halt contact, thereby limiting the coercive power of automated telemarketing practices.
This legislative initiative addresses a common consumer grievance stemming from aggressive telemarketing and debt collection practices, which often leverage automated systems. By establishing a centralized opt-out registry overseen by Anatel, the bill seeks to create a clearer framework for consumer consent and data management in telecommunications. The proposed sanctions aim to incentivize compliance, although the effectiveness of fines will depend on enforcement rigor and the financial capacity of the targeted firms. Looking ahead, this measure could be a precursor to broader digital privacy regulations, reflecting a global trend toward empowering individuals with greater control over unsolicited digital communications. The challenge will be in balancing consumer protection with the legitimate business interests of companies operating within the telecommunications and service sectors, particularly as AI-driven outreach technologies continue to evolve.
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