I received an email from Cox on 4/18/2023 with subject "Spam Blocker is here" that said: "Like you, we can't stand spam calls. So we've added a free spam-blocking service that just went live".
The first item in my Call History with a value in the "Spam Risk" column was a call received 3/2/2023 tagged "None". Cox appears to have begun flagging spam calls six weeks prior to the announcement. It's unlikely they flagged items retroactively. Had they done that, why not flag them all? They could still have flagged all items simply by waiting 120 days from when they began, before implementing the Voice Tools update and making the announcement. Had they waited until July, maybe the developers could have worked out all the bugs before going live with an update. But I suspect a Cox executive was eager to make the big announcement.
"Spam Risk" values are "None", "Low" and "Medium". High-risk calls from known spammers are to be blocked, which could explain why I haven't seen an item in Call History with a "High" value. Using "None" instead of blank makes the distinction between no risk items and items that are missing data.
I didn't know there were levels of spam calls. Spam calls are like milk: it's either not spoiled or spoiled. It's binary. It's either unsolicited or not. Medium risk? Is there also an Extra Medium risk?
I don't think they're flagging numbers "retroactively" but instead just updating the status. If you get a call from a number, the number gets logged in your history. Cox probably hasn't determined if the number is a risk or not a risk. If Cox later determines the number is a risk, they'll update or upgrade or downgrade its status. Since the number is linked to your history, the status gets updated in your history.
If Cox later determines the number is a risk, they'll update or upgrade or downgrade its status. Since the number is linked to your history, the status gets updated in your history.
I don't think that's going to happen. Cox began including "None" in the "Spam Risk" column of all my incoming calls on 3/2/2023. No items before that day have a non-blank value. They only began including an actual risk assessment on 4/18/2023, the date of the announcement. That's the first day a non-blank value in that field was not "None". The only "Medium" was for a call that incorrectly appears in Call History as an outgoing call. So, there's another bug.
If Cox updated existing Call History, you would expect to see items before 4/18/2023 with a "Low" or "Medium" value. If you see that happen, let us know.
