The Rights Alliance works to combat the abuse of rights holders and has just removed an illegal voice clone of actor David Bateson that has been used by 7,500 users.
It is a growing problem that rights holders are being infringed by voice clones. This includes the voice generator company ElevenLabs, which has had illegal voice clones of David Bateson’s recognizable voice, known especially for the computer game ‘Hitman’, circulating. We have reported and removed the voice clones from the service, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Illegal voice clones are stored for up to two years
When 7,500 users can generate illegal content on one voice clone, it’s both a sign that it’s too easy to do knowingly or unknowingly – and that it’s an offense that spreads like wildfire.
And although the voice clones have been reported and removed from ElevenLabs’ ‘public library’, they remain in the users’ private library for up to two years after removal. This is problematic, as the content will continue to be available to users who have already used the illegal voice clones. We have removed the voice clones in both the public and private library.
There are more voice clones out there
The voice is the most important tool for many rights holders, which is why it is essential that we can effectively deal with abuse. Regulation of personality rights (the individual’s right to their own voice, image, etc.) is therefore a key issue in the Rights Alliance’s work for responsible regulation of artificial intelligence.
We encourage you to be investigative about voice cloning technology and be aware of whether your own voice may have been cloned. In many cases, the Rights Alliance can
report and remove illegal voice clones, such as those of David Bateson at ElevenLabs, and we are constantly working to ensure more effective enforcement in this area. The same also applies to the misuse of face and other characteristics, for example through deepfake technology.
Is your voice or face being misused?
Contact us at mail@rettighedsalliancen.dk