Lingo Telecom has been ordered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to pay a $1 million fine after it distributed a spoofed robotic voicemail message from President Biden urging voters not to attend the New Hampshire primary. The message was described as “bogus.”
According to the FCC, artificial intelligence is likely to play a significant role in 2024 election advertising. In fact, a bill has already been introduced that would require political ads airing 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) has been alleged to have been making illegal phone calls for years. However, the company only transmitted the calls – the organization doing the recording was Life Corporation, a company no stranger to spreading misinformation, having first been fined in 2003 for delivering “illegal pre-recorded unsolicited advertisements.”
A warning to telecommunications companies
The specific “political consultant” behind the plan was Steve Kramer, who worked for the presidential campaign of Democratic candidate Dean Phillips – but NBC found no evidence that the Phillips campaign was involved. Kramer now faces criminal charges in New Hampshire and was fined $6 million.
The FCC hopes the fine will deter telecom companies from similar disinformation campaigns.
“This settlement sends a strong signal that communications service providers are the first line of defense against these threats and will be held accountable to ensure they do their part to protect the American public,” said Loyaan Egal, head of the FCC enforcement bureau.
Lingo agreed to strictly follow FCC rules this time around. The FCC says voters have the right to know whether a caller’s identity is authentic, and that AI-generated content must be clearly communicated to the public. The FCC does not have the authority to regulate streaming services or social media.
Via TechCrunch
