4 ms·

Copyright Office to Congress: 'Urgent need' to outlaw AI-powered impersonation

2 points by mikece 2y ago

elmerfud 2y ago
Because we need new laws for some reason around this. I guess current liable or slander or defamation laws are insufficient in some way. I do like how they're calling out there is a right to control your own identity. I really do wish this was an enumerated right that was enforced but it's not and no law by Congress is going to give you that as an enumerated protected right. Because if I can own and protect my own identity that means I can revoke the permission I've given to others about having identifying information about me. Do you really think big business would let that through?
- JohnFen 2y ago
  > I guess current liable or slander or defamation laws are insufficient in some way. That way would be that those laws address something entirely different: asserting untrue defamatory things about people as if they're true. Someone can be impersonated in a way that harms them without ever saying anything untrue or defamatory about them.
  - elmerfud 2y ago
    I think you need to check up on the definition of libel. Because it definitely covers this scenario. One of the things that is explicitly mentioned as part of libel is when it "exposes someone to public contempt". So generating an AI impersonation that doesn't necessarily say untrue things but is representing itself as the actual person and and ends up causing harm it meets that definition. Just because it's "on an iPhone" doesn't mean we need new laws to cover it. You can see how great the dmca was for the average person. It provided no new meaningful protections yeah it was totally weaponized turning third parties into law enforcement. This threatens to do the same thing.
    - JohnFen 2y ago
      In the US, anyway, truth is generally an absolute defense against slander/libel. There are certain narrow exceptions mostly related to public figures. I know that this isn't true in some other nations, though. There are also laws about public defamation, but for the most part those really only apply to public figures and the bar is very high.

2 points by mikece 2y ago

Because we need new laws for some reason around this. I guess current liable or slander or defamation laws are insufficient in some way. I do like how they're calling out there is a right to control your own identity. I really do wish this was an enumerated right that was enforced but it's not and no law by Congress is going to give you that as an enumerated protected right. Because if I can own and protect my own identity that means I can revoke the permission I've given to others about having identifying information about me. Do you really think big business would let that through?

JohnFen 2y ago
> I guess current liable or slander or defamation laws are insufficient in some way. That way would be that those laws address something entirely different: asserting untrue defamatory things about people as if they're true. Someone can be impersonated in a way that harms them without ever saying anything untrue or defamatory about them.
- elmerfud 2y ago
  I think you need to check up on the definition of libel. Because it definitely covers this scenario. One of the things that is explicitly mentioned as part of libel is when it "exposes someone to public contempt". So generating an AI impersonation that doesn't necessarily say untrue things but is representing itself as the actual person and and ends up causing harm it meets that definition. Just because it's "on an iPhone" doesn't mean we need new laws to cover it. You can see how great the dmca was for the average person. It provided no new meaningful protections yeah it was totally weaponized turning third parties into law enforcement. This threatens to do the same thing.
  - JohnFen 2y ago
    In the US, anyway, truth is generally an absolute defense against slander/libel. There are certain narrow exceptions mostly related to public figures. I know that this isn't true in some other nations, though. There are also laws about public defamation, but for the most part those really only apply to public figures and the bar is very high.