STIR stands for Secure Telephone Identity Revisited, and SHAKEN stands for Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs.

Together, they are authentication standards that help to verify that calls come from a real caller ID instead of a spoofed or fake caller ID.

In short, calls traveling through interconnected phone networks would have their caller ID “signed” as legitimate by originating carriers and validated by other carriers before reaching consumers. STIR/SHAKEN uses the same public-key cryptography process that secures e-commerce websites.

Additionally, STIR/SHAKEN helps to identify the source of illegal robocalls in order to reduce their frequency and impact. It gives greater accuracy of caller ID information and allows voice service providers, such as TouchTone, to provide helpful information to their consumers about which calls to answer.