DOJ Cites Deepfake Risk to Block Release of Biden’s Interview with Special Counsel
The Biden administration is refusing to release audio of President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, arguing that it could be manipulated through deepfake technology.
The Justice Department (DOJ) outlined its concerns in a Friday court filing, acknowledging that there is already enough public audio available to create AI deepfakes of both Biden and Hur. However, it argued that releasing the true recording would make it harder to disprove false versions.
The DOJ also cited concerns about the passage of time and advancements in audio and artificial intelligence technologies that could amplify the potential for malicious manipulation of audio files.
The DOJ’s filing came in response to a legal challenge against Biden’s efforts to exercise executive privilege over the recording to keep it from the public.
Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer wrote in the filing that releasing the tape would “make it far more likely that malicious actors could pass off a deepfake as the authentic recording.”
Biden’s administration is facing pressure from conservative legal groups and House Republicans to release the audio. The DOJ has previously released a transcript of the interview, which revealed several embarrassing moments for the president.
Hur’s report, released earlier this year, declared Biden to be a forgetful, but well-meaning elderly man. The report highlighted several instances where Biden could not recall key details about his life, including when he served as vice president and the year of his son Beau Biden’s death.
Biden was outraged at the report and subsequently got caught in a number of false statements regarding his interview. For instance, he claimed that Hur brought up the topic of Beau’s death, despite the transcript showing that Biden had broached the topic.
Some Republicans have speculated that the transcript of the interview may not line up with the audio, saying it may have been edited to prevent embarrassing Biden. Weinsheimer rejected those claims in Friday’s filing, saying only minor adjustments were made to the transcript, such as removing repeated words and filler words.
The Biden administration’s decision to withhold the audio recording has sparked controversy, with some critics accusing the president of trying to suppress embarrassing information. However, the DOJ maintains that its decision is based on legitimate concerns about the potential for deepfakes and other forms of audio manipulation.
