Report: Fake Biden Robocall Tells New Hampshire Voters to Skip Primary

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Facts

  • The New Hampshire Attorney General's office has opened an investigation into a robocall imitating Pres. Joe Biden's voice that urged Democratic voters to skip the state's primary election on Tuesday.1
  • Terming the artificially generated messages 'an unlawful attempt' to disrupt the election, the Attorney General's office asked the New Hampshire voters to disregard the fake robocall's content.2
  • The manipulated call reportedly urged voters to 'save' their vote and make a difference in November, claiming: 'Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again.'3
  • The investigation was launched on a complaint filed by Kathy Sullivan, a former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair whose personal mobile number appeared on the receivers' caller ID.2
  • Pres. Biden's name isn't listed on Tuesday's ballot because of a disagreement between state election officials and the Democratic National Committee about the primary date.4
  • It's unclear which voters had been targeted or how many received the robocall. After the incident, Sullivan said she would engage with federal law enforcement, stating the 'attack on democracy' violates several laws.2

Sources: 1USA Today, 2NBC, 3The Messenger and 4New York Post.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by USA Today. With the rapid pace at which technology is advancing, and an alarming lack of comprehensive government and private sector oversight, deep fakes like the Biden robocall in New Hampshire may become the new normal. Tech firms and law enforcement must scrutinize this extremely worrying phenomenon, especially as it may affect something as high-stakes as the 2024 presidential election.
  • Narrative B, as provided by RAND. Deep fakes aren't nearly as big of a threat as people think they are. While the technology exists to create pretty believable-looking fakes, it's often easier to spread disinformation using conventional media methods. While the possibility exists for artificial intelligence to be used maliciously, the potential problems posed by generative AI technology are being blown way out of proportion.

Predictions