The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined political consultant Steven Cramer $6 million for sending ‘fake robocalls’ that used an AI-generated voice imitating President Joe Biden to solicit New Hampshire voters. were urged not to vote in the state’s Democratic primary.
Joe Biden withdraws from the presidential race on July 21 and supported kamala harrisHarris, who chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, is now running against the former President donald trump and J.D. Vance, Ohio senator.
Between January 23 and June 8, 2024, the Democratic Party held its presidential primaries and caucuses to choose delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention. These representatives will decide the party’s candidate for this 2024 US presidential election,
Kramer, a 54-year-old, Louisiana-based Democratic consultant from New Orleans, was convicted in May on charges of felony voter suppression and misconduct by a candidate, according to the Department of Justice in New Hampshire.
According to Reuters, he worked for Biden’s primary challenger, Representative Dean Phillips, although Phillips publicly condemned the robocalls.
The investigation was launched on January 22, 2024, after reports emerged of thousands of New Hampshire residents receiving a robocall urging them to “save”. [their] Vote for the November Election”, falsely suggests that voting in November matters more than the primary election.
In January, Cramer admitted paying $500 for the robocalls and said they were intended to raise awareness of the dangers of artificial intelligence in political campaigns. The FCC investigation found that the robocall used deepfake technology to replicate Biden’s voice, violating FCC rules prohibiting falsifying caller ID information.
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel highlighted the growing risks of misuse of AI in elections. “It is now cheaper and easier to use artificial intelligence to clone voices and flood us with fake voices and images,” he said. “We must act quickly when we see it and use every tool at our disposal to stop this fraud.”
Kramer has 30 days to pay the fine, otherwise the case will be referred to the Justice Department for collection. Attempts to reach Kramer for comment were unsuccessful.
In a related case, telecommunications company Lingo Telecom agreed to pay a $1 million fine in August for broadcasting similar fake robocalls. The company has since implemented a compliance plan to comply with FCC caller ID rules.
The FCC is also exploring further measures to combat AI misuse in political campaigns. In July, the Commission proposed a rule requiring political advertisements on radio and television to disclose whether AI was used in creating the content. This proposal is still under review.