The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ordered Lingo Telecom to pay a $1 million civil penalty after it broadcast a falsified robotic recording of a voicemail from President Biden urging voters not to turn out for the New Hampshire primary, calling it “a bunch of nonsense.”
The FCC has said AI will likely play a major role in 2024 election ads, and has already proposed legislation that would require political ads broadcast on television and radio to disclose any AI-generated content.
Lingo Telecom, formerly known as Impact Telecom, Matrix Business Technologies, VarTec Telecom (and many, many more) is said to have been running illegal calling operations for years. However, it only transmitted the calls – the organization doing the recording was Life Corporation, a company that is no stranger to spreading misinformation and was first cited for delivering “unsolicited pre-recorded illegal advertising” in 2003.
A warning for telecommunications
The specific 'political consultant' behind the scheme was Steve Kramer, who worked for the presidential campaign of Democratic candidate Dean Phillips, but NBC No evidence was found that Phillips' campaign was involved. Kramer now faces criminal charges in New Hampshire and was fined $6 million.
The FCC hopes the fine will deter telecommunications organizations from conducting similar disinformation campaigns.
“This agreement sends a strong message that communications service providers are the first line of defense against these threats and will be held accountable for ensuring they do their part to protect the American public.” saying Loyaan Egal, head of the FCC's Bureau of Enforcement.
Lingo agreed to strictly follow the FCC's rules this time around. The FCC maintains that voters deserve to know whether the caller's identity is genuine and that AI-generated content must be clearly communicated to the audience. The FCC has no authority to regulate streaming services or social media.
Through TechnologyCrunch
