Two Texas-based companies have been linked to a wave of robocalls that . Deepfake audio was used to urge New Hampshire voters not to participate in the state's presidential primary. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said as many as 25,000 calls were made to state residents in January.
Formella says an investigation linked the source of the robocalls to Texas companies Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom. No charges have yet been filed against the company or the owner of Life Corporation, an individual named Walter Monk. The investigation is ongoing and other entities are believed to be involved. Federal law enforcement authorities are also reportedly looking into the matter.
“We have sent a cease and desist letter to Life Corporation ordering it to immediately stop violating New Hampshire election laws,” Formella said at a news conference, according to . “We have also opened a criminal investigation and are taking the next steps in that investigation, issuing document preservation notices and subpoenas to Life Corporation, Lingo Telecom and any other individuals or entities.”
The Federal Communications Commission also sent a cease and desist letter to Lingo Telecom. The agency said (), he has already warned both companies about robocalls.
The deepfake was created using tools from AI voice cloning company ElevenLabs, which . The company says it is “dedicated to preventing the misuse of audio AI tools and (takes) any incidents of misuse extremely seriously.”
Meanwhile, the FCC is which use AI-generated voices. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the agency is responsible for establishing rules regarding robocalls. Commissioners are expected to vote on the issue in the coming weeks.