{"id":271345,"date":"2018-08-11T07:55:22","date_gmt":"2018-08-11T05:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=271345"},"modified":"2018-08-11T07:57:10","modified_gmt":"2018-08-11T05:57:10","slug":"how-the-wasp-double-opt-in-system-has-been-improved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/technology\/271345-how-the-wasp-double-opt-in-system-has-been-improved.html","title":{"rendered":"How the WASP double opt-in system has been improved"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since Vodacom\u00a0launched<\/strong><\/a> its double opt-in system for wireless application service providers in 2011, it has been steadily improved to prevent unscrupulous WASPs from tricking people into signing up for services.<\/p>\n

Among the more recent improvements is a feature called network-initiated unstructured supplementary service data (NI USSD).<\/p>\n

The general manager for WASPA, Ilonka Badenhorst, said that NI USSD makes it more difficult for a rogue WASP to circumvent the verification systems networks have in place.<\/p>\n

WASPs are typically associated with subscription services that charge a fixed amount over a certain period in exchange for digital goods or services.<\/p>\n

You might subscribe for R2 a day and have songs and wallpapers regularly delivered to your phone, for example.<\/p>\n

Other examples include Vodacom\u2019s Look 4 Me<\/a><\/strong> phone tracking service, which charges R11.70 per month. MTN offers a similar service called WhereRU<\/a><\/strong> at R12.49 per month. Both services levy additional fees on messages sent to interact with them.<\/p>\n

Since the advent of double opt-in, subscribing to services such as those mentioned above requires a WASP to send you a confirmation of your subscription.<\/p>\n

You might click a link on a website to sign up to such a service, or send a registration message via SMS to a number like 31888. The WASP must then send you a confirmation message.<\/p>\n

Only once you have responded affirmatively to the confirmation message may the WASP begin billing you.<\/p>\n

Fixing exploits<\/h3>\n

Despite efforts to ensure that people only subscribe to services they want, rogue WASPs still found and exploited loopholes to trick people into subscribing.<\/p>\n

Network-initiated USSD is one of several steps networks have taken to prevent WASPs from circumventing the verification mechanisms in place.<\/p>\n

WASPA said that such USSD requests are more difficult to intercept through malware and other illicit means, compared to SMS.<\/p>\n

Vodacom explained<\/strong><\/a> that with NI USSD, it receives a customer\u2019s confirmation of a subscription to a service.<\/p>\n

In addition to network-initiated USSD, MTN and Vodacom now require that all WASPs use an industry approved anti-fraud system. MTN allows Perimeter X or BlockFraud<\/strong><\/a>, while Vodacom has rolled out BlockFraud on its network.<\/p>\n

MTN said it will take further steps by amending its business rules for third-party services, while Vodacom curtailed new WASP activations in April 2018.<\/p>\n

Only after Vodacom was given validation of a WASP\u2019s security processes and tools was it allowed to operate on the network, the company told MyBroadband.<\/p>\n

Ethics<\/h3>\n

Badenhorst said WASPA and its members want an ethical market where companies adhere to the rules and regulations.<\/p>\n

While WASPA is an industry association which represents the interests of its members, it must also consider consumer interests.<\/p>\n

That is the only way to ensure the long-term sustainability of the WASP industry, said Badenhorst.<\/p>\n

Now read: Blocking WASPs on mobile networks \u2013 Tested<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vodacom launched its double opt-in system for wireless application service providers in 2011.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":268571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_threads_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[5060,35,42,41,22787],"class_list":["post-271345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-double-opt-in","tag-headline","tag-mtn","tag-vodacom","tag-wireless-application-service-providers-association-waspa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271345"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271345"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271607,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271345\/revisions\/271607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}