What Is STIR/SHAKEN?

Authentication follows a trust framework

STIR/SHAKEN uses signed identity information and verification processes on supported IP voice paths. The originating service provider communicates an attestation about the call and calling number. A receiving provider can evaluate the signature and associated information as part of its handling. This is a network identity control, not a direct survey of whether the recipient wants the call.

Common attestation labels are full, partial and gateway. Their meaning concerns what the provider can assert about the origin and number relationship; they are not grades for a sales script or a promise of human answer rates. Keep the actual provider result and any unavailable or failed verification state instead of converting all missing results into the same label.

Display and reputation remain separate

A successful verification does not require every receiving device to show the same checkmark, business name or spam label. Carriers and devices can use additional information and their own presentation rules. CNAM caller-name information and branded calling services have different functions. Authentication can be valid while a recipient still reports unwanted contact or a provider applies another risk signal.

What an outbound operator should verify

Confirm that the calling business is correctly represented with its provider and that the number use is authorized under the service's process. Inspect representative call records for signing and verification evidence rather than relying only on an onboarding badge. If a call loses identity information across a route, investigate that path with the provider. Do not rotate identities to evade the receiving system's judgment. STIR/SHAKEN does not create permission to call, replace applicable contact rules or certify that an operation is compliant. Its value is a bounded, inspectable identity assertion within a wider calling process.