A telecommunications company agreed to pay a $1 million fine for its role in the incident deep fake robot call Federal officials who imitated President Joe Biden’s vote ahead of the New Hampshire Democratic primary plan to announce Wednesday.
Lingo Telecom, a voice service provider that distributed AI-generated robocalls through “fake” phone numbers, will pay a seven-figure fine and agree to stricter monitoring protocols in what federal authorities are calling a first-of-its-kind enforcement. action against malicious deep fakes or artificial intelligence-based imitations of others.
“Each of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is who they say they are,” Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “If AI is used, it should be clear to every consumer, citizen and voter who encounters it.”
The robocall used an AI-generated imitation of Biden’s voice New Hampshire voters will not vote in January’s Democratic primary.
as first spotted by NBC Newsthe call was organized by Steve Cramer, a longtime political consultant who was working for a rival campaign at the time, though Cramer says he did it as a stunt to raise awareness of the threat of deepfakes. Kramer and his then-employer, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., insists no one was controlling Cramer or aware of his actions.
Kramer he also faces a $6 million fine from the FCC, as well as 26 felony counts of voter intimidation and impersonation in New Hampshire. He is currently out on bail.
She also faces a civil lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters. US Department of Justice threw his weight back the costume last month.
“Voter intimidation, whether it’s done in person or through deep-fake robocalls, online disinformation campaigns or other AI-powered tactics, can be a real barrier to voters expressing their voice in our democracy,” said Kristen Clarke. Chief of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in a statement.
The Biden robocall was the first use of deep fraud in national American politics, so officials said they acted quickly and aggressively to prevent widespread political deep fraud. in some other countries.
“By prosecuting Lingo Telecom for its role in transmitting fraudulent robocalls carrying AI-generated messages, the FCC is sending a strong message that election interference and deceptive technology will not be tolerated,” said New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella.