OpenAI engineer arrested after hidden recording device discovered

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 22:32 · Archive

An OpenAI engineer has been arrested after a hidden recording device was found in a conference room.

An engineer at OpenAI, identified as 35-year-old Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, has been arrested after a recording device was discovered hidden in a conference room. The device was found on 30 September concealed in toilet paper and inserted into a USB port on a television, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in San Francisco. Alfozan was arrested on Friday and charged with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications.

OpenAI said it used its models to identify the employee had planted the device a few days before discovery and reported the matter to the FBI. An OpenAI spokesperson stated: 'We're grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI's investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work.' The company fired the employee.

OpenAI said it has found no evidence that Alfozan inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data. The criminal complaint does not detail what purpose Alfozan intended for any captured communications. It was unclear whether Alfozan had a lawyer at his first court appearance on Tuesday.

How it is being reported

• Employee arrested after listening device found in OpenAI conference room, FBI and the company sayAn engineer at OpenAI has been charged with secretly installing a recording device inside a conference room in what officials say was an effort to capture sensitive conversations about the company’s technology.Clickorlando · 13 Oct, 22:10
• Employee arrested after listening device found in OpenAI conference room, FBI and the company sayAn engineer at OpenAI has been charged with secretly installing a recording device inside a conference room in what officials say was an effort to capture sensitive conversations about the company’s technology.News4Jax · 13 Oct, 22:10

In this story: Abdulrahman Alfozan · OpenAI · FBI · San Francisco

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