Robocaller To Pay $1 Million Fine For Biden Deepfake

NBC News reports:

A telecom company has agreed to pay a $1 million fine for its role in the deepfake robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden’s voice ahead of the New Hampshire Democratic primary.

Lingo Telecom, a voice service provider that distributed the artificial intelligence-generated robocalls through “spoofed” phone numbers, will pay the seven-figure penalty and agreed to stricter oversight protocols.

As first uncovered by NBC News, the call was orchestrated by longtime political consultant Steve Kramer, who at the time was working for a rival campaign, though Kramer says he did it as a stunt to raise awareness about the danger of deepfakes.

Read the full article. That rival campaign was Rep. Dean Phillips. Action against the robocaller was first initiated by New Hampshire AG John Formella [photo], a Republican appointed by Gov. Chris Sununu in 2021.

NEWS: @FCC just announced that the company that transmitted the Biden N.H. primary robocall that used AI to interfere in that election will pay a $1M fine and abide by first-of-their-kind compliance terms. pic.twitter.com/zljNIeViUN

— Jonathan Uriarte (@JonathanUriarte) August 21, 2024