If scammers use your AI code to rip off victims, the FTC may want a word America's Federal Trade Commission has warned it may crack down on companies that not only use generative AI tools to scam folks, but also those making the software in the first place, even if those applications were not created with that fraud in mind. Last month, the watchdog tut-tutted at developers and hucksters …
The FTC does this every so often, it reminds people that the New Shiny Thing is still subject to today's laws and regulations.
In fact, there's no new regulation or rules here, it's just a reminder from the watchdog. Or a clarification. Depends how you look at it.
C.
Wasn't that one of the FTC's key implications though?
"We don't need new powers to come after this shiny new thing - we've already got them. Meaning if you've ever done this, we can come get you*. There's no magic date when this kicks in."
* statute of limitations may apply. Your jurisdiction will vary. This is not legal advice. Etc etc etc.
Next up would then be anyone hosting a TOR node.
Now I'm for protection anynomity, but in all the years that I have been running sites I have never seen a legitimate hit from a known TOR node. Breach attempt, plenty, but genuine traffic? Nada. I don't know how up to date Maxmind's list is of 'anonymous proxies' but it's in the list of locations that get automatically diverted to 0.0.0.0.
Going after scammers - great, go to it.
Going after people who make tools specifically to aid scammers - likewise.
Going after people who make otherwise legitimate tools that a scammer could / might / find useful - ridiculous.
You might as well prohibit pens, after all, forging signatures is hardly uncommon. What about telephones? Think of all the hundreds of phone calls you've had that start something like "Allo, I am from Microsoft, your computer is polluting internet..." and end up with some poor bugger being talked into installing team viewer and shortly thereafter finding their bank account has sprung a leak. Best to ban all telephones just in case. And team viewer, too! Kali Linux? Kill it with fire.
I'm very much in favour of giving the villains a good seeing to, preferably with a big stick, but a little common sense is required. Pretty much anything can be used as a tool for crime - if we prohibited any invention that could have nefarious uses (the wheel, for starters) we'd still be sat around in a cave debating the implications of going forward with fire as a possible source of heat Vs arson.
Totally agree, just that regulators conveniently skip the various extant exemptions to the blustery threats they make in public. For example, telephone companies have always enjoyed indemnity from prosecution for the nefarious deeds conducted over their copper and fiber connections.
Here's some lyrics from an excellent culture, they describe what we need to do ...
"Don't judge a man by the way he looks, Judge him by his ways." - Jacob Miller, The Truth Has Come Again
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