The Campaign Registry (TCR) Adds New Step to Authenticating Brands; CV Tokens are Expiring
Wherever there’s money to be made, there’s a fraudster finding a way around the rules—and long code (10DLC) messaging campaigns are no exception. The purpose of The Campaign Registry (TCR) is to stop these fraudsters in their tracks and protect consumers.
To help prevent brand impersonation (e.g., “spoofing”), TCR has added a new feature called Authentication+ as part of the brand registration process. Additionally, they’ve noted that the original Campaign Verify tokens are set to expire soon. Read on for more information on both.
Authentication+
TCR’s new Authentication+ requires the addition of a validated business email address associated with each brand. Authentication+ is being rolled out in stages.
Right now, only for-profit / publicly traded company brands are required to fill out the new “Business Contact Email” field (on the Brand Form page in Commio.io, as shown below). This applies to all publicly traded company brands that have not registered their brand as yet, as well as currently registered brands that wish to submit new campaigns. Existing campaigns will continue to go out without any further action required, although there will eventually be a deadline for providing a contact address regardless of campaign status.
The new component requires adding a contact’s business email address associated with the brand—i.e., the same domain name. It cannot be a free / personal email address (such as joe@yahoo.com) or a common distribution list email address (e.g., sales@brand.com).
Once a brand has been (re)submitted, you should expect to receive a 2FA email directly from The Campaign Registry (“noreply@auth.campaignregistry.com”) at the business contact email address you provided. You will need to validate your identity via the link in this email within seven (7) days, including:
- Brand contact first name
- Brand contact last name
- Brand contact title
- PIN from the 2FA email
TCR will also send a reminder email. If you do not respond within 7 days, the link will expire and you will need to request a new email. If 30 days pass from the time of the first email, you will need to re-complete the entire brand approval process.
During the email verification process, the status of newly submitted brands will be listed as Pending; existing brands will change from Verified to Unverified. You will not be able to register new public brands or new campaigns until you have completed this process, or request any new external vetting. Once the process is completed successfully, your brand will be listed as Verified (or Vetted_Verified for brands that were already externally vetted). You can now submit new campaigns or add vetting.
Note: TCR will refund the cost to revet existing Public Profit brands with a Verified or Vetted_Verified identity status that choose to go through Authentication+ verification.
If you are not part of a publicly traded company brand, you do not need to do anything at this time. We will keep you apprised as other brand segments and deadlines are added to Authentication+.
Authentication+ FAQ
Q: Is there any kind of alert when you go to the messaging page and/or attempt to submit a new campaign?
A: We don’t know yet. TCR only has Authentication+ in a QA environment right now, so we can’t test that scenario before launch, but we think TCR will provide an error which we would then display on our user interface. We will update this answer as we learn more.
Q: Can customers who are not part of a publicly traded company brand go ahead and submit their email address before they’re required?
A: No, this option is not available across TCR yet; only publicly traded company brands can enter this information right now.
Q: I am part of a publicly traded company brand but our campaigns are already set up and approved; we don’t need any additional campaigns at this time. What do I need to do next, and how long do I have?
A: You’re all set! There’s nothing you need to do at this time. However, you might wish to go ahead and complete the 2FA process so that you’ll be ready for any future campaigns. (Do be aware that as soon as you start the process, your brand will be listed as unverified until the process is completed.)
Q: What if I have campaigns for a publicly traded company brand that are already approved, but I need to add phone numbers to them?
A: You are free to add them. Adding numbers to an existing / legacy campaign does not require you to complete the authentication process.
Q: What happens if I resubmit a campaign for a publicly traded company brand before completing the authentication process?
A: The brand will no longer be listed as verified and you will need to complete the authentication process before any of your campaigns can be sent.
Campaign Verify Tokens Expiring
Campaign Verify Authorization Tokens (“CV tokens”) are valid for two-year election cycles. If a brand acquired a CV token on or after November 15, 2022, it will expire on January 31, 2025 and any political campaign(s) the brand has will be deactivated. To keep those campaigns active, a new token is required.
A new Campaign Verify cycle will start on November 15, 2024. CV tokens submitted on or after November 15, 2024 will be valid until January 31, 2027. To obtain one of these tokens, users should submit a new verification request directly to CampaignVerify.org. Campaign Verify charges $95 for this service.
New tokens will need to be applied for and imported into TCR between November 15, 2024 and January 31, 2025 to avoid any disruptions to existing campaigns.
Play It Safe
We applaud The Campaign Registry’s efforts to keep our brands safe. If you are part of a publicly traded company brand, we encourage you to authenticate your email address as soon as possible. For additional information on Authentication+, please watch The Campaign Registry’s video. And, if your brand is associated with a political campaign, you might wish to renew your Campaign Verify token soon.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Commio; our Customer Success team is always happy to help!
