Connect with us

Rhode Island

RI lawmakers move to ban political ‘deepfakes’ ahead of elections. What that means.

Published

on

RI lawmakers move to ban political ‘deepfakes’ ahead of elections. What that means.


PROVIDENCE – To people of a certain age, the phrase – “Is it live or is it Memorex?” – needs no explanation.

Memorex famously claimed that its taped cassette recording of Ella Fitzgerald hitting a high note was so good it could break a glass, just as her live singing would do. And no one would know the difference.

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), that question – is it real or is it fake – has leapt from the advertising sphere to the campaign sphere with a potential so frightening to some Rhode Island legislators that they have introduced a bill to ban what they call “deceptive and fraudulent synthetic media” in the 90-day run-up to any election.

Modeled after a state of Washington version, their bill is up for a committee vote on Tuesday on its way to a full House debate.

Advertisement

What the bill does:

The legislation [H7487] defines “synthetic media” as “an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual’s appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated … [with] digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video” that is false.

The legislation would not only ban “deepfakes,” it would give a candidate who felt wronged the right to seek an injunction and damages in court. The exception to the ban: if the spot contains a clearly written or spoken disclosure that the image “has been manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence.”

Why is the bill needed?

Secretary of State Gregg Amore told legislators at a hearing late last month that so-called deepfakes have been used to deceive the public about statements and actions taken by political leaders in the run up to elections, “when there is not sufficient time for candidates to debunk these mistruths before voters head to the polls.”

A recent example, he said, was the falsified Biden robocall in New Hampshire, in which a manipulated version of Biden’s voice told voters to stay home and not vote in the New Hampshire primary.

Advertisement

According to Amore, the legislation creates a balance “between preventing misinformation and protecting the First Amendment, with allowances for Constitutionally-protected speech like press coverage, satire, and parody.”

Rep. Jon Brien, one of the co-sponsors of the proposed new ban, said the ubiquitous cartoon caricatures of yore were clearly fake. Today’s deepfakes are not so easy to spot.

Arguments against the bill

The ACLU of Rhode Island cautioned the state’s lawmakers against “trying to quickly regulate this new world of artificial intelligence and its impact on the electoral process.”

“In order to ensure that debate on public issues is, in the words of the U.S. Supreme Court, ‘uninhibited, robust, and wide-open,’ the First Amendment provides special protection to even allegedly false statements about public officials and public figures,” said ACLU Rhode Island Director Steve Brown.

“To allow the government to regulate or ban political speech that some might view as misleading undermines the breathing space that robust political speech requires, whether generated with the help of artificial intelligence or not,” he warned.

Advertisement

He gave two examples:

  • A political ad that strings together a politician’s comments made at different times that someone could claim is “deceptive” of the candidate’s views.
  • A video of a candidate or elected official giving an actual speech where someone, using AI, replaces the real background of the video with an artificial background depicting hell.

Though the bill contains an exception for “satire” or “parody,” Brown noted, the use of AI to make these images or recordings could open a citizen to substantial penalties.

A lobbyist for the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) suggested the lawmakers tweak the bill to make clear the “creator” facing potential penalties mean the person who “deployed” the fake, not “the provider or developer of any technology used in the creation of synthetic media.”



Source link

Rhode Island

Married couple from R.I. identified as victims in fatal Swansea crash

Published

on

Married couple from R.I. identified as victims in fatal Swansea crash


Local News

The two victims were identified as a husband and wife from Rhode Island, local officials said.

A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.

Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.

Advertisement

The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.

Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.

At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.

The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said. 

Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.

Advertisement

Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.

Sign up for the Today newsletter

Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Rhode Island

Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, leaders celebrate Women’s History Month with panel event

Published

on

Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, leaders celebrate Women’s History Month with panel event


Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.

The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.

Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.

Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)

Advertisement

“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”

The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.

Comment with Bubbles

JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)

According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Rhode Island

Man allegedly kills man in R.I. before causing car crash that killed 2 in Mass.

Published

on

Man allegedly kills man in R.I. before causing car crash that killed 2 in Mass.


Local News

“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Col. Michael J. Winquist said.

A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.  

Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.

Advertisement

The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.

That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said. 

When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.

First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.

“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.

Advertisement

Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.

The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.

Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.

At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.

Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.

Advertisement

Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.

The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.

“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.

Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.

Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.

Advertisement

“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.

Sign up for the Today newsletter

Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending