Airtel's AI system blocks 1.80 lakh malicious links, safeguards 3 million users

Bengaluru, Jun 11 (PTI) Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Wednesday claimed that it has blocked more than 1.80 lakh malicious links and safeguarded 3 million users within just 25 days of launching its advanced fraud-detection system, amid a surge in online frauds.

The initiative is as part of the nationwide rollout of its AI-powered fraud detection system, it said.

In a statement, Bharti Airtel said, "Automatically enabled for all Airtel mobile and broadband customers, the advanced system scans and filters links across SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, E-mail and other browsers. It leverages real-time threat intelligence to examine over 1 billion URLs daily and blocks access to harmful sites in under 100 milliseconds." Commenting on the development, Bharti Airtel CEO Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Tarun Virmani said, "We are proud to introduce the Fraud Detection Solution, now live in Tamil Nadu, to safeguard our customers against emerging threats. At a time when digital threats are becoming more advanced and widespread, the need for a strong and dependable secure mobile network is more essential." "We believe that our solution will provide a thorough defense to customers in Tamil Nadu against cyber frauds, enabling them to confidently navigate the digital environment," he added.

The AI-driven platform delivers fraud warnings according to the user's language, including Tamil. Its multi-lingual support is especially impactful in districts with low digital literacy.

With Tamil Nadu ranked as one of India's most digitally advanced states, the threat of online fraud has grown in urban and rural regions.

The solution offered by Bharti-Airtel operates silently in the background, requires no installation and it is available free-of-cost, the company said. PTI AMP VIJ ROH