STIR/SHAKEN
A caller ID authentication framework required of U.S. voice carriers to combat illegal spoofing and reduce robocalls.
Full Definition
STIR/SHAKEN (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited / Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) is a suite of FCC-mandated protocols for authenticating caller ID on IP-based voice networks. Originating carriers assign an attestation level to each outbound call — A (fully attested), B (partially attested), or C (gateway, not attested) — and terminating carriers use those signatures to display a "Verified" or "Spam Likely" label on the recipient's phone. Calls from unverified numbers, numbers with C attestation, or numbers appearing on robocall mitigation databases are increasingly blocked or flagged. For insurance dialers, STIR/SHAKEN compliance requires using a carrier that provides A-level attestation on owned DIDs, rotating numbers before spam flags accumulate, and registering numbers with free caller ID remediation services (Free Caller Registry, Hiya, TNS, First Orion).
Example
An agency's contact rate on outbound calls drops from 28% to 12% over six weeks. They discover their dialer carrier has been providing B-level attestation and several DIDs are flagged as "Spam Likely" on Verizon. They switch to an A-attested carrier and register DIDs with Free Caller Registry; contact rate recovers to 25%.
Related Terms
- DNC (Do Not Call) — A federal registry of phone numbers that have opted out of most telemarketing calls, administered by the FTC.
- Dialer (Predictive / Power / Manual) — Outbound calling software that accelerates agent dial volume — operating in predictive, power, progressive, or manual modes with very different TCPA risk profiles.
- TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) — U.S. federal law restricting telemarketing calls, autodialed calls, prerecorded messages, and text messages without prior express written consent.