US authorities have accused a political consultant of distributing fake recordings with the voice of President Joe Biden to thousands of voters in New Hampshire. The consultant, Stephen Kramer, allegedly used AI to create fraudulent robocalls urging residents to refrain from voting in the November elections, in an apparent attempt to disrupt the primary elections process. Kramer is facing a fine of $6 million for using deepfakes of Biden’s voice and falsifying the caller ID.
This case marks the first time the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken action against a perpetrator of such fraudulent robocalls. Kramer, who reportedly sent out thousands of fake calls just two days before the election, is facing charges of voter suppression and impersonation of a candidate.
Additionally, the telecommunications company Lingo Telecom, which facilitated the distribution of these calls, faces a potential fine of $2 million for its role in the scheme. The calls reportedly used the caller ID of a local politician without their knowledge, violating FCC regulations on caller ID authentication.
FCC alleges that Lingo Telecom failed to adhere to “Know Your Customer” (KYC) principles, making the call transfers illegal without proper caller ID verification. The company is also accused of not making sufficient efforts to verify the accuracy of information, including complying with the Stir/Shaken standards set by the FCC.
The Stir/Shaken tool is a digital identifier that helps track suspicious calls, ensuring transparency and reliability for consumers while enabling other telephone operators to block spam calls. FCC has warned that AI may play a significant role in future elections, highlighting the need to safeguard the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.
Concerns about AI-generated content misleading voters have prompted some lawmakers in Washington to push for legislative measures aimed at combating such threats, including proposals to require disclosure of content created using AI by radio and television stations ahead of elections.