New Law May Permit Use of Deceased People’s Voices in State and Public Interests

The Federation Council is preparing a new bill titled “On the Protection of Voice,” aimed at safeguarding citizens from neural networks and fraudsters, according to Vedomosti. The document was developed by the AI Alliance and the National Federation of the Music Industry (NFMI), as explained by Artem Sheikin, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building. The final version is currently being prepared, and the bill will be submitted to the State Duma after the government provides its feedback.

If the bill is adopted, amendments will be made to the first part of the Civil Code. Notably, the consent of a deceased person’s relatives will no longer be required if the person’s voice is used for state or public interests, provided that the voice recording was made for payment or in public places.

Sheikin emphasizes that the document is designed to protect citizens from the unlawful use of their voices and the creation of deepfakes. Speaking recently at a meeting of the Federation Council’s Commission on Information Policy and Media Relations, the senator noted that AI is not only the main driver of the fourth industrial revolution but also a convenient tool for abuse and manipulation. In his view, new forms of propaganda are emerging due to the connection between social networks and the vast amount of “big data”:

“Everyone, I think, is aware of cases where a person’s voice has been illegally used to generate speech using artificial intelligence technologies, for example, to voice unwanted content for fraudulent purposes. In addition, voices of announcers synthesized with AI can be used to voice content without their consent. To address this issue, a bill is being developed to fill the legal gap regarding the use of a citizen’s voice and to establish principles for its use only with the citizen’s consent, except for certain established norms.”

To counter unwanted content created with AI, the senator proposed monitoring and analyzing the internet, launching specialized educational programs and awareness campaigns, and creating platforms for communication and consultation.

Additionally, in April, the senator suggested giving the term “deepfake” a Russian-language definition and enshrining it in legislation.