House Democrats propose cracking down on fake robocalls generated by AI | WIW
US lawmakers say they are fighting the spread of AI-based fraud and scams with new laws to overhaul the nation’s robocall rules.
The sweeping proposal by House Democrats is a direct response to incidents including the recent impersonation of President Joe Biden that targeted thousands of New Hampshire voters, or fraudsters who cloned a loved one’s voice to trick victims into believing a kidnapping had occurred. 4,444 4,444 Robocall blocking service YouMail estimates that at its peak in 2019, the number of robocalls in the US was around 58.5 billion. Last year, that number was closer to 55 billion.
The new bill would significantly expand the definition of robocall to include any phone calls or text messages that contain artificially generated or pre-recorded messages, according to a summary of the legislation reviewed by WIW. And it would double the potential fines for violating US robocall rules, which include using artificial intelligence to impersonate people.
All robocalls, including those that Americans have authorized from their bank or doctor, would require disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence under the proposed law.
The new restrictions would apply to both political and non-political robocalls, said Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and lead sponsor of the bill known as do not interfere. .
The legislation aims to close what lawmakers believe are loopholes in existing laws that robocallers can exploit without accountability, including creating robocalls.
The Supreme Court effectively narrowed the definition of robocaller in 2021 when it unanimously upheld the strict interpretation of robocaller used in earlier legislation.
The push follows a broader crackdown by states and agencies like the Federal Communications Commission, which decided in 2022 to crack down on one of the biggest auto warranty scams in history.
Regulators have also sought to tighten rules on robocalls and text messages, and in some cases forcibly disconnected phone providers accused of facilitating unwanted calls from the U.S. phone network. 4,444 4,444 Industry experts say that thanks to earlier legislation that Pallone authored in 2019, known as the TRACED Act, the government now has better tools to identify the source of illegal robocalls. This information will help authorities take care of bad actors.
But while officials have had some success with unwanted robocalls, callers are increasingly turning to new technologies like artificial intelligence to stay one step ahead.
Monday’s legislation also aims to give the FCC and Federal Trade Commission new tools to crack down on fraudsters and seek tougher penalties, including fines.
It also aims to force phone providers to offer free robocall blocking services to consumers and require the FCC to maintain a public list of the top 100 illegal call campaigns.
“Today, I am introducing legislation that will bring robocall protection into the 21st century and ensure that illegal robocallers and fraudsters cannot exploit new loopholes even as technology continues to advance,” Pallone said in a statement.
Other Democratic supporters of the bill include Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, representative Doris Matsui of California, representative Darren Soto of Florida, and representative Eric Sorensen of Illinois..
