Political consultant who made annoying Biden robocalls faces $6 million in fines

In a recent incident, political consultant have been found guilty of using computer-generated voice calls to mimic President Joe Biden. Now, they have to pay a $6million fine and are facing over twenty criminal charges.

The Federal Communications Commission said it is proposing a fine for Steven Kramer on Thursday. This is the first time they are fining someone for using generative AI technology. Lingo Telecom was accused of making the calls and now they might have to pay a $2million fine. But they could also try to reach an agreement or talk more about it, according to the FCC.

Kramer has said he planned a message that was sent to lots of voters two days before the first primary on Jan 23rd. The message had a fake voice that sounded like the Democratic president’s and said that voting in the primary would stop people from voting in November.

A person who helps politicians sent fake phone calls that sounded like President Biden to voters before an important election in New Hampshire. Now they have to pay $6 million and are facing more than 24 criminal charges.

The government agency that oversees communication rules, called the Federal Communications Commission, said it wants to punish Steven Kramer with a fine. This is the first time they are doing this for someone using generative AI technology. Lingo Telecom, the company accused of sending the calls, might have to pay a $2million fine. But they could also work things out with the other party or talk more about it, according to the FCC.

Kramer has confessed to planning a message that was sent to many voters just before the first primary on Jan 23. The message was a fake voice that sounded like the Democratic president. It said that voting in the primary would stop people from voting in November.

Both Lingo Telecom and Kramer did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Kramer had said to The Associated Press that he wasn’t trying to change the election, but to warn people about the possible problems with artificial intelligence. He paid a magician $150 to make the recording in New Orleans.

Kramer said in February that even though he might seem like a bad person now, he believes that the things he’s doing will make our country and democracy better in the future.

Lingo Telecom said in February that it wants to make sure it takes good care of its customers and follows all the rules. The company also said it helped with the investigation once it found out about the scam calls.

FCC boss Jessica Rosenworcel said they want to help states catch bad guys. She said the robocalls were scary.

She said that anyone could be tricked by calls made using AI technology if the caller sounds like someone they know or trust, such as a politician, celebrity, or family member. “This is just what the bad people making these fake calls with altered voices want you to do. “

Soon after New Hampshire’s primary election, the government made a rule that bans robocalls using artificial voices.

In an interview a few days after he was identified as the person making the calls, Kramer said he didn’t think his calls stopped people from voting. He mentioned that Biden won the Democratic primary election by a lot of votes even though he wasn’t on the official ballot. He helped another person who used to run for president as a Democrat with getting on the ballot. Dean Phillips from Minnesota, Kramer said that he did the action by himself.