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Man Behind Biden Deepfake Robocalls Hit With $6 Million Fine


The Federal Communications Commission has issued a $6 million fine to a man accused of bombarding New Hampshire voters with robocalls containing a spoof of President Joe Biden’s voice in the days before the state’s presidential primary.

Political consultant Steve Kramer, who worked for his rival Dean Phillips, admitted to making the calls, using artificial intelligence to imitate the president’s voice urging people in the Granite States not to vote in the Democratic primary.

“Voting this Tuesday only serves Republicans in their bid to re-elect Donald Trump,” the fake voice said. “Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday.”

The FCC said robocalls violate the Truth in Caller ID Act, which makes it illegal to deceive another caller with the intent to defraud. Last month, the agency reached a $1 million settlement with Lingo Telecom, a company that allowed calls to be transferred over its network.

Kramer finally revealed his role in the scheme in an interview with NBC, where he said “I’m not afraid to testify, I know why I did everything. If the House oversight committee wants me to testify, I will want them to put it on TV because I know more than they do.”

He was never called to testify, but in addition to the $6 million fine, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office also charged him with voter suppression.

“The reckless use of artificial intelligence technology and fraud to interfere with elections undermines the foundation of our democracy and poses a serious threat, the extent of which has yet to be determined,” said FCC Enforcement Chief Loyaan Egal, in a statement.

The New Hampshire primary was an odd choice for a voter suppression campaign. At the time, Biden, as the sitting president, was the Democratic nominee, and no one saw Phillips’ challenge as a threat. The Minnesota congress will soon drop out of the race and endorse Biden.

In addition, Biden was not even in the New Hampshire vote targeted by robocalls. He refused to campaign in the state because the New Hampshire Democratic Party, which has long boasted of holding the first primary in the nation every election season, refused to be pressured by the national party to reschedule its primaries later this year. Biden, however, won the first in a write-in campaign.

In recent months, the FCC has proposed rules that would further crack down on AI-generated robocalls and require disclosure of AI-generated content in political ads on television and radio.



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