U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., attends a subcommittee hearing with the Senate Committee on Appropriations in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 22, 2026. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 03: (L-R) Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) arrive for a hearing with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on December 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., wants hearings to force AT&T and Verizon to disclose how they’ve responded to the hacks to protect telecom networks. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Digital legal compliance and government regulation concept with security icons, creative graphic style, on blurred US flag background. 3D Rendering. ismagilov, istock/Getty Images Plus
Stelios Kouloglou arrives for a meeting with the police commissioner at the police headquarters on Dec. 3, 2019 in Valletta, Malta. (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP) (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)
In an email, an ATF spokesperson confirmed to CyberScoop that the contract had been canceled, describing it as a limited pilot project for capabilities the agency was no longer seeking.
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A diffuse landscape, fruitful targets, companies not stepping up, AI’s influence and flagging U.S. government efforts all figure into a shifting threat.
While preventing third parties from profiting off unauthorized deepfakes of artists and performers is a bipartisan concern, some business and digital rights groups are opposed.