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The Federal Communications Commission outlawed robocalls that contain voices generated by artificial intelligence, a decision that sends a clear message that exploiting the technology to scam people and mislead voters won’t be tolerated. The unanimous ruling targets robocalls made with AI voice-cloning tools. The agency cited the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a 1991 law restricting junk calls that use artificial and prerecorded voice messages.
The announcement comes as New Hampshire authorities investigate AI-generated robocalls that mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice to discourage people from voting in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary last month.
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Effective immediately, the regulation empowers the FCC to fine companies that use AI voices in their calls or block the service providers that carry them. It opens the door for call recipients to file lawsuits and gives state attorneys general a new mechanism to crack down on violators, according to the FCC.
“Bad actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to extort vulnerable family members, imitate celebrities, and misinform voters,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a news release. “We’re putting the fraudsters behind these robocalls on notice.”
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The technology allows bad guys to create deep fakes all too easily. They can clone the voices of celebrities or your loved ones, convincing unsuspecting folks to part with their Social Security numbers, other sensitive personal information and often lifelong savings.
Last year, the FCC received 120,000 written complaints about robocalls. Call-protection app YouMail estimated more than 50.3 billion illegal robocalls were made last year.
“It’s the issue that more consumers complain about than anything else,” Rosenworcel told Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s chief advocacy and engagement officer, in a discussion last fall.
She said the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a sister agency, reported that 20 percent of fraud cases begin with a phone call.
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