Ninety per cent of spam marketing calls targeting Bahrain come from abroad and beyond regulators’ reach, but the Shura Council is pressing ahead with a plan to tighten the rules. While authorities are working with Google and GCC regulators to curb spam calls from overseas, enforcement remains a sticking point. The Council will go over a proposal on Sunday to rein in the practice, with a report on its feasibility due for discussion. People across Bahrain have long complained about being pestered by sales calls at all hours, their phones ringing with offers they didn’t ask for. Services Some say they’ve been badgered into signing up for services they don’t need, while others simply want the calls to stop. Lawmakers backing the proposal say it’s about time businesses were stopped from making a nuisance of themselves, arguing that phone-based sales tactics belong in the past. Shura’s Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, which has looked into the proposal, says it stacks up legally and fits within Bahrain’s laws on consumer rights. Sales calls It points out that Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have all set rules on sales calls, meaning Bahrain wouldn’t be breaking new ground by doing the same. […]