Home / Crime and Justice / Hidden Recorder Found in OpenAI Office; Engineer Charged
Hidden Recorder Found in OpenAI Office; Engineer Charged
14 Oct
Summary
- An OpenAI engineer was arrested for allegedly hiding a recording device.
- The device was found in a San Francisco office's executive conference room.
- The engineer faces prison time and fines for intercepting communications.
An employee of OpenAI, identified as Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on October 9 after allegedly planting a recording device in one of the company's San Francisco offices. The sophisticated listening device was discovered by OpenAI's security team, prompting the AI firm to report the incident to the FBI.
Alfozan, a 35-year-old engineer, reportedly wrapped a USB device in toilet paper and placed it in a television within an executive conference room. He was observed on security footage near the room multiple times, despite not being authorized for meetings held there. He allegedly used a 'productivity tool' to seek information about office layouts, schedules, and personnel locations.
Further investigation revealed chatbot queries from an account linked to Alfozan's spouse concerning remote audio recording and memory card encryption. A second recording device was found in a bag belonging to Alfozan. He has been charged with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications and could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Alfozan is scheduled for a federal court hearing on October 19.
