About ETOC
About ETOC
The Elite Telecom Operator Certification body (ETOC) is a non-profit organization established by five Japanese telecommunications carrier associations.
ETOC was established in October 2024 to certify telecommunications carriers that use telephone numbers and to promote telephone safety and security through various awareness-raising activities.
The total damage caused by special frauds, including "It's me" fraud, reached a record high of approximately 56.6 billion yen in 2014. Since then, the number of cases has temporarily decreased due to measures such as strengthened police crackdowns, preventive activities in cooperation with the public and private sectors, and restrictions on the use of telephones used in crimes, but it has recently been on the rise again, and the situation remains severe, with the number of reported special fraud cases in 2023 reaching approximately 19,000 cases and total damage of approximately 45.3 billion yen.
Based on the "It's My Ore Fraud Countermeasure Plan" decided at the Crime Prevention Ministerial Meeting (chaired by the Prime Minister) in June 2019, the public and private sectors are working together to suspend telephone numbers used in special fraud crimes. Although various measures have been implemented since then, malicious businesses or businesses selling telephone services to malicious groups continue to exist, and this has not been a sufficient deterrent. With the promotion of digitalization throughout society and the increase in teleworking, the need for telephone use has rapidly increased, and advanced technological innovation and dissemination are progressing, but these advanced technologies are being misused in crimes such as special fraud. It has been pointed out that the reason for the lack of sufficient deterrence is that it is difficult for not only general users (companies and consumers) who use telephone services, but also telecommunications carriers to easily and reliably identify some malicious businesses.
In response to this situation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications conducted a study based on the opinions of experts on how to objectively judge the quality of businesses, etc. in fiscal year 2023. Specifically, it was concluded that having an external organization evaluate the eligibility of businesses, etc. and using the results to check credit when conducting transactions between businesses would be an effective measure to prevent transactions of telephone numbers and telephone lines with inappropriate businesses.
Starting in fiscal 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has been discussing measures to combat the criminal use of telecommunications numbers at its council, and the report it has compiled states that it is necessary to strengthen cooperation with voluntary industry initiatives such as this organization.
Taking these conclusions into consideration, five telecommunications industry associations jointly established the Elite Telecom Operator Certification Body (ETOC). The organization establishes standards for good telecommunications operators, such as network quality, service quality, security measures, and crime prevention measures, and issues a certification mark to operators who trade telephone numbers in Japan and meet these standards. Telecommunications operators can use this certification mark to check the trustworthiness of other operators when conducting transactions or making contracts with them. It also makes it easier for users (companies, consumers, etc.) to choose a telephone operator when signing up for telephone services.
This organization will work in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the National Police Agency, and relevant domestic and international telecommunications carriers to raise awareness among users of communications services and work to improve the quality of services and the soundness of the telephone market across the entire communications industry.
References:
Ministerial Meeting on Crime Prevention (Prime Minister's Office)
https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/hanzai/index.html
Report on the results of the investigation and study council on the certification council of the quality of telephone forwarding providers (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 2023)
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000937348.pdf
Telecommunications Council, Telecommunications Business Division, Telecommunications Number Council, Crime Prevention Working Group (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 2024)