Lingo Telecom Fined $1 Million for Biden Deepfake Incident

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined Texas-based telecommunications company Lingo Telecom $1 million for distributing deepfakes of President Joe Biden, according to a press release. 

In January, an unknown individual used artificial intelligence to mimic Biden’s voice and made a series of calls to voters in New Hampshire, urging them to boycott the elections. 

The regulator imposed the fine on Lingo Telecom to penalize its involvement in illegal deepfake fraud and to hold telecommunications companies accountable for the content they distribute. 

In addition to paying the fine, the provider is required to implement a “historic compliance plan,” which includes strict adherence to FCC rules on caller ID authentication. These measures are intended to prevent fraud and deception. 

Lingo Telecom must also adhere to the principles of KYC and KYUP, enabling telephone operators to effectively monitor call traffic and ensure authentication compliance. 

Previously, OpenAI halted the use of ChatGPT for influencing US elections. 

In August, it was reported that an 82-year-old pensioner lost $690,000 due to an AI-generated deepfake of Elon Musk.

ForkLog has previously discussed popular fraud methods using neural networks and ways to combat scammers in its News+ format.