Telecom Firm Fined $1M by FCC for Enabling Biden Deepfake Scam
Author: admin | 22 Aug 2024In This Post
The famous telecom firm distributed President Joe Biden’s Gen-AI-made deepfakes voice clone through spoofed phone numbers. The firm agreed to pay a fine of $ 1 million to the Federal Communications Commission upon charges of using deceptive generative AI content for scams.
Federal authorities call it unprecedented legal enforcement action against deepfake technology’s negative use.
Federal Communications Commission Statement
“It is everyone’s right to know the person’s identity behind the voice they hear over the phone. If AI is being used to impersonate a voice, it should be communicated to consumers, voters, and citizens to avoid scams and other illicit activities.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel
Intentions Behind Biden’s Deepfake Voice
It was clear that the perpetrators including the deepfake impersonators and the Lingo platform are staunch opposers of the democratic party. They used Biden’s deepfake voice to influence the outcome of an election by asking voters in New Hampshire not to vote for the democratic party in January.
Steve Kramer, a political consultant, reportedly played Biden’s deepfake who was working on a rival political campaign at that time. He alone is facing a $6 million fine from the FCC and 26 criminal counts for illegally influencing an election campaign and impersonation. However, Kramer claims that it was merely a political awareness stunt to raise awareness against the use of deepfakes.
Learn how the Legislative Framework criminalizes the use of Deepfake technology for influencing election campaigns.
Voter intimidation in any form whether personal or by the use of deepfake technology bears legal consequences in the US now. Senate Bill 751 of Texas and other legislations also criminalize the use of deepfake technology in influencing the outcomes of an election.
Not only this but the use of deepfake technology to create non-consensual pornographic material is also a punishable crime now. The victims will also receive legal protection and backing from authorities regulating deepfakes.
Undeniably, it is a praiseworthy step that will uphold democracy and public protection as deepfake genie is going out of control. Let’s hope that the impact of deepfake legislation will help secure people’s digital security.
Deepfake scams use AI to create realistic fake videos or audio of individuals, often to deceive victims in fraud schemes, impersonate others, or manipulate situations, leading to financial and reputational harm
