Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, PRIVACY NEWS: FTC Publishes Official Rules for Zapping Rachel Robocall Contest, (Jul 18, 2014)

In its ongoing efforts to eradicate robocallers like “Rachel From Cardholder Services,” the Federal Trade Commission announced the official rules for its second robocall challenge, Zapping Rachel. The contest will be held at DEF CON 22 in Las Vegas Aug. 7-10, and offers participants $17,000 in cash prizes for open-source solutions to help build the next-generation robocall honeypot, circumvent or trick a honeypot, and analyze data from an existing honeypot.

A robocall honeypot is an information system designed to attract robocalls and gather information about them, which can help researchers and investigators combat these illegal, prerecorded messages.

Zapping Rachel will consist of three stand-alone phases. For the first “Creator” phase, contestants will build honeypots that can recognize inaccurate information in the calls they receive, such as spoofed caller IDs, and identify calls that are likely robocalls. In the second “Attacker” phase, contestants will think like robocallers and attempt to circumvent or trick a honeypot created for the contest. The third “Detective” phase asks contestants to analyze data and develop an algorithm to predict which calls from an existing honeypot are likely robocalls. Judges will score submissions based on functionality and accuracy, as well as innovation and creativity.

In order to participate, contestants must be present at DEF CON, register in person and meet the eligibility criteria. Contestants can register as an individual or a team, and can compete in one, two, or all three phases of the contest. The official rules were published in the Federal Register and provide a full description of eligibility and judging criteria.

The FTC will announce the top scores at the end of the conference. Official winners will be announced at a later time to permit verification of contestants’ eligibility for a prize. The top prize for each phase is $3,133.70, and the judges may also award $1,337 for each honorable mention (with up to two honorable mentions per phase).

News: FederalTradeCommissionNews Privacy