FCC Levies $6 Million Fine Against Biden Robocaller
(Bloomberg) -- The US Federal Communications Commission levied a $6 million fine on Steve Kramer, the perpetrator behind thousands of robocalls that mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice.
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Kramer made the calls, using artificial intelligence voice cloning technology and caller ID spoofing, to New Hampshire voters earlier this year encouraging them to sit out the state’s primary presidential election.
“Let me be clear: if you flood our phones with this junk, we will find you, and you will pay,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said.
Kramer, who worked for Biden’s Democratic primary challenger Dean Phillips, also faces state election-interference charges. The FCC first floated the fine against Kramer in May, but the agency noted that he never responded. Kramer is required to pay the fine within 30 days, or else it will be referred to the US Department of Justice for collection.
Deepfake technology, which uses AI to manipulate images, audio, and video, has triggered widespread concerns about its ability to fuel disinformation ahead of the presidential election in November. The FCC previously clarified that “artificial or prerecorded” robocalls that use AI to clone a speaker’s voice violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and can rack up per-call fines of hundreds of dollars.
The carrier that facilitated Kramer’s robocalls, Lingo Telecom, was also fined $1 million by the FCC.
--With assistance from Courtney Rozen.
(Updates with details from fifth paragraph.)
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