A US STATE is investigating a voice message making false claims about election voting that appears to have been artificially generated and made to sound like President Joe Biden. 

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office has revealed that it has received complaints about a recorded message telling them not to vote in the state’s primary presidential election tomorrow.

The message says that votes make a difference in November (in the race between the final candidates) but not now (in the primary elections where each party selects its candidate).

In a statement, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office said that “although the voice in the robocall sounds like the voice of President Biden, this message appears to be artificially generated based on initial indications”.

“The message appears to have been ‘spoofed’ to falsely show that it had been sent by the treasurer of a political committee that has been supporting the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary write-in efforts for President Biden,” the Office’s statement said.

“The message’s content directed recipients who wished to be removed from a calling list to call the number belonging to this person.”

The Office said the messages appear to be an unlawful attempt to disrupt New Hampshire’s primary presidential election and to suppress voters in the state, urging voters to disregard the content of the message.

“Voting in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election does not preclude a voter from additionally voting in the November General Election,” the Office clarified.

The Office’s Election Law Unit is investigating the message.

New Hampshire, along with Iowa, is traditionally one of the first states to hold its primaries, where Democrats and Republicans vote for which potential candidate they want to see represent their parties in the presidential race.

Artificial generation software that can create fake images, videos and sounds that resemble real people are a significant concern ahead of many important elections due to be held around the world this year, including presidential elections in both the US and Russia and EU elections in June.

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More