The contributors to the open-source repository made comments like:

> making people go through an application process ... would likely not deter someone motivated by the [exploitation] of senior citizens.

> yeah we can write [a CODE_OF_CONDUCT], but I don't think it will fand off people anyways. But it'd look good :)

> We cant also really say anyone with the given info is secure to use TTS since it is really hard to verify the real identity.

Mozilla and their contributors are ignoring their responsibility as the steward of hyperrealistic open-source TTS by saying "I don't think it will fand off people anyways". We can do better.

I made them aware of this issue on October 8th. Since then, there has been no meaningful action on this issue. They have continued to develop and improve their TTS technology without any consideration for the potential harm this could have.

This article beautifully illustrates some of the consequences of realistic technology like this: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614912/ethical-deepfake-tools-a-manifesto/

> The costs of deepfake technology are not just theoretical. Synthetic face-swap videos harass journalists into silence; synthetic voices are being used for large fraudulent transactions, and synthetic faces have allegedly supported espionage. All of that is in spite of the current challenges of using hacked-together beta-quality software.