Lingo Telecom, a telecommunications company, has been fined $1 million by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for transmitting fake Joe Biden AI robocalls. These robocalls used deepfake audio of the president’s voice to spread election disinformation in New Hampshire. While Lingo Telecom was not directly involved in creating the calls, they were penalized for failing to protect against Caller ID spoofing and for transmitting the calls.
The FCC’s Consent Decree revealed that Lingo Telecom had incorrectly certified that they had a direct authenticated relationship and could confirm the caller’s identity in nearly 4,000 of the Biden AI robocalls. This was due to their reliance on Life Corporation’s certification regarding the identities of its customers. Lingo Telecom did not independently verify whether the phone numbers being used were associated with the individuals claimed by Life Corporation.
In addition to the $1 million civil penalty, Lingo Telecom has agreed to a compliance plan that ensures adherence to the FCC’s STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication rules. These rules require the company to be more thorough when verifying customer-provided information to prevent similar incidents in the future.
FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal emphasized the potential threat posed by the misuse of generative AI voice-cloning technology and caller ID spoofing. The settlement with Lingo Telecom sends a strong message that service providers must take responsibility for protecting the public from these threats.
The deepfake Biden AI robocalls originated from Texas company Life Corporation, which was hired by political consultant Steve Kramer. Kramer was working for Democratic congressman Dean Phillips’ presidential campaign, but he claimed to have come up with the AI robocall idea himself. Magician Paul Carpenter was commissioned by Kramer to create the deepfake audio without knowledge of its intended use. Kramer is now facing criminal charges and a $6 million fine.
This case highlights the potential dangers of AI-generated deepfake audio and the need for stricter regulations. The FCC’s actions against Lingo Telecom and the criminal charges against Kramer demonstrate the seriousness with which such incidents are being treated. It is crucial for telecommunications companies to implement measures like caller ID authentication to protect against similar threats in the future.
