Dreaming of this in Israel: France has legally banned telemarketing calls — the fine: up to $435,000 per call

If you find yourself dealing daily with incessant calls from sales representatives, offers to switch mobile carriers, or surveys at the least convenient moment, the following story will likely make you jealous. The French government has passed a dramatic law that went into effect this week, completely banning companies from making telemarketing calls without explicit and prior consent from the consumer.

While in most countries the prevailing model determines that the consumer must act actively so as not to be bothered, France has decided to turn the tables. The new law moves the French to a mandatory model of prior consent, meaning that a company without explicit written permission from a citizen is prohibited from calling them. The only exceptions are limited to companies with which the customer has an existing active contract, or cases where the consumer has marked a consent box on a form themselves.

French officials explain that the law was born as a response to years of complaints from citizens and consumer organizations, as estimates suggest about 75% of the country's residents suffered from annoying sales calls on a weekly basis. To ensure the law does not remain only on paper, unprecedented penalties were defined:

A private individual who makes a violating call may face a fine of up to $87,000 per call, while companies and corporations that violate the guidelines will be forced to pay up to $435,000 for every single call.

While the French enjoy the new quiet, the reality in Israel is still very different. Although the 'Do Not Call' database of the Consumer Protection Authority operates in the country, the Israeli model still relies on the consumer registration requirement. Moreover, many consumers in Israel report that the database is far from airtight, and that annoying calls continue to arrive from various call centers, parties abroad, or organizations not covered by the law.

The French move is already creating shockwaves outside the country's borders, as in neighboring Morocco, where many telemarketing centers serve the French market, they are warning of damage to tens of thousands of jobs. However, for the citizen in Paris, the peace of mind on their mobile phone was worth it, while the Israeli consumer can only continue to dream of a day when their phone stops ringing with offers that no one asked for.