After launching in 2008, Canada’s Do Not Call List (DNCL) has now surpassed 14 million registered numbers, according to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
“Canadians have added over 14 million numbers to the Do Not Call List since it began in 2008,” said the CRTC this morning.
According to the federal government, once you register your number with the DNCL, theoretically you should not be receiving calls from telemarketers and clients of telemarketers.
There are exemptions to the DNCL, meaning the following entities can still call you:
If you have an iPhone, you can minimize spam calls by enabling the Silence Unknown Callers feature. Just go to Settings > Phone, scroll down, tap Silence Unknown Callers, and then toggle it ON.
Apple says “calls from unknown numbers are silenced and sent to your voicemail, and appear in your recent calls list.” You’ll only get calls from those in your contacts list, recent calls list and from Siri Suggestions (based on numbers in emails or text messages).
If you end up placing an emergency call, the feature is automatically disabled for 24 hours to allow for all calls to come through. It’s important to add people you know to your contacts list before you enable Silience Unknown Callers, so you don’t miss important calls.
As for the DNCL–does it actually work? That’s up for debate as many people still get spam calls from overseas and more, even with their number on the list.
