Telecom will pay $1 million over deepfake Joe Biden robocall

www.theverge.com Telecom will pay $1 million over deepfake Joe Biden robocall

The call spoofed Biden’s voice urging voters to stay home.

    Photo by Brandon Bell / Getty Images

A telecom company that transmitted the deepfake robocall of President Joe Biden’s voice has agreed to pay $1 million to resolve an enforcement action from the Federal Communications Commission, the agency announced. Lingo Telecom relayed a fake Biden message to New Hampshire voters in January, urging them not to turn out for the Democratic primary. The FCC identified political consultant Steve Kramer as the person behind the generative AI calls and previously proposed Kramer pay a separate $6 million fine. Under the new settlement with Lingo, the FCC said the company will need to strictly adhere to its caller ID authentication rules, including “know your customer” principles. The FCC will also require Lingo to “more thoroughly verify the...