AI-synthesized voices used to make false police reports, 911 dispatchers struggle to tell real from fake
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NPR reports that AI-generated voice calls to 911 or police departments for false alarms (swatting) have appeared in multiple places across the United States, and a high school in Yuba County, California was closed in August as a result. A June survey by APCO and the Public Safety Threat Alliance, based on responses from 766 public safety communications practitioners, showed that about 14% of dispatchers said they had been targeted by AI tools.
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- Hacker News AISwatters are using AI voices to deceive 911 dispatchers, and it's getting worse
NPR reports that swatting hoax calls, such as an August bomb threat to Wheatland Union High School in Yuba County, Calif., are increasingly using AI-generated voices that sound natural and are hard for dispatchers to detect. APCO and NENA, which represent 911 dispatchers, cite a June survey of 766 public safety communications professionals in which about 14% of dispatchers said they were targeted using AI tools, and they are developing training to counter the threat. Officials stress dispatchers will always treat life-threatening calls as real and send emergency resources.
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