Cryptography

Telecom Company Fined $1 Million for Deepfake Scam

Thursday. August 22 at 3:30 PM

1 min. read

Lingo Telecom, a Texas-based telecommunications company, has been fined $1 million by the FCC for its involvement in an illegal deepfake scam targeting the New Hampshire primary election. The scam utilized an AI-generated recording of President Joe Biden's voice in robocalls to deter voters. The FCC's fine aims to hold telecom companies accountable for content dissemination and requires Lingo Telecom to implement a compliance plan, including strict adherence to caller ID authentication rules. The company must also follow 'Know Your Customer' and 'Know Your Upstream Provider' principles to monitor call traffic effectively. The deepfake robocalls, orchestrated by political consultant Steve Kramer, aimed to interfere with the election process. This incident highlights the threat of deepfake technology to democratic integrity, prompting calls for vigilance and regulation in the face of AI-generated disinformation.

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Brazil's Supreme Court Lifts Freeze on Elon Musk's Starlink and X Bank Accounts

Saturday. September 14 at 7:00 AM

Brazil's Supreme Court has removed the freeze on bank accounts associated with Elon Musk's Starlink and the social media platform X after transferring $18.35 million Brazilian reais (approximately $3.3 million) to the national treasury. The fines stem from a legal dispute where X failed to comply with court orders to block accounts spreading misinformation and hate speech in Brazil. Despite addressing the financial penalties, X remains blocked in Brazil since Aug. 30. The conflict arose when Justice Alexandre de Moraes instructed the platform to block accounts disseminating threatening content to democracy, leading to Musk's refusal to comply, citing censorship. The legal battle intensified with the court upholding the suspension due to X's noncompliance with local laws. The government supports the court's actions to combat misinformation, with the final ruling potentially impacting tech companies in Brazil.

Cryptography

Protecting Creativity: NO FAKES Act Reaches US House

Friday. September 13 at 2:30 PM

A bipartisan group of representatives introduced the NO FAKES Act in the U.S. House to combat AI-generated deepfakes. The bill aims to safeguard individuals' intellectual property rights over their voice and likeness, allowing legal action against unauthorized digital copies. Media platforms will be protected from liability if they promptly remove infringing content. Violators of the act could face fines and additional damages. The legislation, supported by members of the entertainment industry, seeks to establish a national standard to protect creators and promote innovative AI technologies. With bipartisan backing, the NO FAKES Act is a crucial step towards safeguarding against nonconsensual deepfakes and voice clones. The bill's alignment between the Senate and House signifies a united effort to protect artists and creators in the digital age.

Cryptography

Enhancing ZKP Adoption on Polygon's AggLayer

Tuesday. September 10 at 7:30 PM

Polygon Labs, a company dedicated to expanding the Polygon ecosystem, has teamed up with Fabric Cryptography to promote the use of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) on the AggLayer. The AggLayer, Polygon's aggregation layer, aims to enhance scalability and interoperability through ZKP technology. The collaboration will involve integrating Fabric's Verifiable Processing Units (VPUs) into Polygon's AggLayer. These VPUs, silicon chips, break down cryptographic algorithms into mathematical components. Mihailo Bjelic, Polygon's co-founder, highlighted that VPUs will accelerate the implementation of ZKPs within the AggLayer, offering faster and more secure blockchain transactions. This integration is expected to benefit developers by enabling more efficient incorporation of ZKPs into their applications. The partnership is anticipated to impact DeFi adoption positively, addressing scalability and security concerns in blockchain technology. Despite recent security challenges, including a Discord channel hack, Polygon remains committed to enhancing its ecosystem with advancements like VPU integration and the transition to the POL token.

Cryptography

Investigation into Telegram Over Deepfake Crimes

Tuesday. September 3 at 6:00 PM

South Korean authorities are investigating Telegram for allegedly abetting deepfake sex crimes. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has initiated a preliminary inquiry into the platform. South Korea's National Office of Investigation is leading the internal probe, following France's lead. Challenges include a lack of user information, prompting collaboration with French and international authorities. This marks the first investigation into Telegram's corporate entity in South Korea. The move comes amidst the country's efforts to combat online sex crimes. Telegram, with 3 million monthly users in South Korea, ranks third in popularity behind KakaoTalk and Instagram. The investigation follows the arrest of Telegram's CEO in France, sparking probes in various countries. India and Indonesia are also scrutinizing Telegram, while the EU is investigating user number accuracy. France began its inquiry in February 2024, leading to a judicial investigation in July.

Cryptography