Debt collectors banned from contacting people on Do Not Call List

A new phone application will allow people who have registered on the Do Not Call List to file complaints with the federal branch responsible for overseeing it. The company offering the new technology, First Orion, said that users of its app, called PrivacyStar, had already filed more than 100,000 complaints with the Federal Trade Commission for violating privacy rights. Those who sign up for the list seek to avoid unwanted calls from both telemarketers and debt collectors, but sometimes signing up for the list isn't enough. "The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days," the government's site reports. "If they do, you can file a complaint ... You can register your home or mobile phone for free." With the rise in cell phone use, many states have been considering expanding their Do Not Call protections. The Indiana legislature recently approved a measure that expands the protections to cell phones and VoIP lines.