STIR/SHAKEN was the industry's answer to phone-call spoofing: a framework that authenticates caller ID so recipients can trust that a call is really from who it claims to be. The same push for verified identity is now reaching texting, through sender registration and RCS, and it points to a clear future: outreach that voters can trust because the sender is provably real.
What is STIR/SHAKEN?
STIR/SHAKEN is a caller-ID authentication framework, mandated under federal law, that lets carriers verify a call's origin and flag likely spoofed numbers. It was built to fight the epidemic of scam and spoofed robocalls by making it harder to fake who's calling. It applies to voice calls, but its logic, prove the sender is real, or get filtered, is exactly the direction texting is heading.
How does the same idea reach texting?
Through registration and verified sending. Texting's version of "prove who you are" is 10DLC registration and, for political senders, Campaign Verify, which tie every message to a vetted identity. RCS takes it further by showing a verified sender name and logo on the message itself. Different mechanism, same principle: the industry is moving to make anonymous, spoofable outreach impossible, so trusted senders get through and impostors don't.
Why does it matter for campaigns?
Because a campaign's entire pitch depends on the voter trusting the message, and the anti-spoofing trend rewards exactly that. As verified sending becomes the norm, a registered, verified campaign stands out from the flood of spoofed political spam, while an unregistered or spoofy sender gets filtered harder than ever. The campaigns that lean into verified sending, proper registration, Campaign Verify, RCS as it spreads, are positioning for a world where trust is enforced by the network, not just claimed in the copy.
Frequently asked questions
What is STIR/SHAKEN?
A caller-ID authentication framework that verifies a call's origin and flags spoofed numbers, built to fight scam robocalls. It applies to voice, but its logic is spreading to texting.
How does anti-spoofing apply to texting?
Through sender registration (10DLC and Campaign Verify) and verified sending via RCS, which tie messages to a vetted identity and can show a verified sender name and logo. Same principle as STIR/SHAKEN, different mechanism.
Why does verified sending matter for campaigns?
Because trust is the whole point of political texting. As verified sending becomes the norm, registered, verified campaigns stand out from spoofed spam and get delivered, while anonymous senders get filtered harder.
Keep reading: RCS for campaigns and what is a sender ID?. For registration, see The Campaign Registry.
This reflects developments as of the date above.