Texas Telecom Companies Impersonate President Biden in AI Robocall Campaign
In a shocking turn of events, a recent robocall campaign in New Hampshire has been linked to two Texas-based telecom companies, causing widespread concern about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to interfere with elections. The state’s attorney general, John Formella, announced on Tuesday that the calls were traced back to Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom, both owned by Walter Monk.
The investigation is still ongoing, and Formella believes that there may be additional entities involved in the disinformation campaign. No charges have been filed yet, but a cease-and-desist letter has been issued to Life Corporation, ordering them to immediately stop violating New Hampshire election laws. Document preservation notices and subpoenas have also been sent to both companies and any other individuals or entities involved.
According to Formella, the robocalls numbered in the thousands, although he did not provide an exact figure. These calls were made ahead of New Hampshire’s presidential primary in January, urging voters not to participate and instead “save” their votes for the November election. The AI voice, designed to sound like President Joe Biden, claimed that voting in the primary would only benefit Republicans and enable the re-election of Donald Trump.
The Biden campaign was quick to condemn the robocalls as disinformation and referred the case to the attorney general. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s campaign manager, commended Formella for taking the matter seriously and acting swiftly against attempts to disrupt democratic elections.
What makes this case particularly unique is the use of AI to create a deepfake voice resembling President Biden. Formella emphasized that this is a real-life example of an attempt to use AI to interfere with an election, something that law enforcement agencies have been concerned about for some time. He also hinted at the involvement of other unnamed entities that may have relevant information about the robocalls.
The fake audio was created using an AI voice creation tool called ElevenLabs, according to analyses conducted by security company Pindrop and digital forensic experts at the University of California, Berkeley. While ElevenLabs stated that it is dedicated to preventing the misuse of audio AI tools, the company declined to comment specifically on the Biden deepfake call.
This is not the first time Monk’s companies have faced scrutiny for robocall violations. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) previously issued a citation to Life Corporation in 2003 for delivering unsolicited advertisements to residential telephone lines. The citation highlighted the company’s failure to provide required information in the calls, including the caller’s name and an address or telephone number. Subsequent violations could result in significant financial penalties.
Telecom companies that persistently facilitate illegal robocalls can be forcibly disconnected from the US telephone network by FCC order, as part of a wider crackdown on such activities. In response to the New Hampshire robocall incident, more than 50 attorneys general from both political parties wrote to Life Corporation, expressing concerns about the potential replication of deepfake calls in their respective states.
While Monk’s political history remains largely unknown, he and his ex-wife each donated $5,000 to a Kansas-based political action committee in 2008. The committee primarily focused on advertising through Spanish-language broadcast channels.
Senior US law enforcement officials are closely monitoring the robocall incident to determine if a federal crime was committed. The Justice Department has previously prosecuted cases involving the suppression of votes through false information, such as the case against social media influencer Douglass Mackey, who targeted Black voters with misleading messages during the 2016 election.
The implications of this AI robocall campaign are far-reaching and raise serious questions about the integrity of elections and the potential misuse of technology. As investigations continue and authorities take necessary actions, it is crucial to remain vigilant against disinformation campaigns that threaten free and fair elections.
