The New Hampshire Department of Justice has revealed the source of the robocall featuring what appeared to be the voice of United States President Joe Biden, instructing citizens not to vote in the Jan. 23 primary. The perpetrator has been identified as Life Corporation and an individual named Walter Monk.
The automated messages were created using an artificial intelligence (AI) deepfake tool, a software that utilizes advanced AI algorithms to produce highly realistic and deceptive digital content, such as audio recordings or videos. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office categorized these robocalls as misinformation and urged voters to disregard the message.
Upon identifying the source, the Election Law Unit of the Attorney General’s Office initiated an investigation in collaboration with state and federal partners, including the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force and the Federal Communications Commission Enforcement Bureau. The unit issued a cease-and-desist order to Life Corporation for violating New Hampshire laws on bribery, intimidation, and suppression.
The calls were traced back to a Texas-based telecoms provider, Lingo Telecom, prompting the Election Law Unit to issue a cease-and-desist order against them. Simultaneously, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a similar order to Lingo Telecom for allegedly supporting illegal robocall traffic involving AI-generated voice cloning.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed treating calls featuring AI-generated voices as illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, subjecting them to regulatory scrutiny and penalties.
The incident underscores growing concerns about the misuse of AI-generated content, with the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service highlighting the potential adverse consequences of deepfake technology in disseminating disinformation campaigns across the internet.
Get $200 Free Bitcoins every hour! No Deposit No Credit Card required. Sign Up