STIR/SHAKEN

What is STIR/SHAKEN?

STIR/SHAKEN is a technology framework designed to reduce fraudulent robocalls and illegal phone number spoofing. STIR stands for Secure Telephony Identity Revisited. SHAKEN stands for Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs.

The FCC has adopted rules requiring service providers to deploy a STIR/SHAKEN solution by June 30, 2021. Think Simplicity has deployed STIR/SHAKEN to all clients on the Think Simplicity network.

The name was inspired by Ian Fleming's character James Bond, who famously prefers his martinis "shaken, not stirred." STIR having existed already, the creators of SHAKEN 'tortured the English language until [they] came up with an acronym.

 

Why is STIR/SHAKEN so important?

Between 3 and 5 billion robocalls are made each month, and research suggests that more than 40% of those calls are thought to be fraud-related.

STIR/SHAKEN is an industry-wide initiative to restore trust in our voice communications. Its goal is to prevent fraudsters from scamming consumers and businesses through robocalls and illegal phone number spoofing, while making sure that legitimate calls reach the recipient.