The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested an engineer working at OpenAI for allegedly planting a sophisticated recording device inside an executive conference room at the artificial intelligence company's San Francisco office, federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday, October 13.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi Arabian national, was charged with using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications, the US Department of Justice said. According to the complaint, he allegedly concealed a covert recording device in his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's superintelligence technology.
The hidden audio device was found on September 30 by an OpenAI employee. It had been plugged into a USB port behind a television in the conference room and wrapped in toilet paper, and was believed to have been placed there around September 28. Investigators found the data stored on the device to be encrypted.
CCTV footage and the arrest
The Justice Department said Alfozan was not authorised to access the conference room where the device was found. CCTV footage showed him near the room several times before the discovery, and on October 5 he allegedly entered the room to retrieve the device. A bag containing his wallet, identification card and another recording device similar to the one found in the room was also recovered.
Announcing the arrest, FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency had arrested the individual after he allegedly concealed the device to secretly record communications about the company's superintelligence tech, calling protection of American AI innovation one of the bureau's highest counterintelligence priorities.
OpenAI has terminated Alfozan. The company said it believed he planted the device a few days before it was discovered and that the FBI "moved quickly to make an arrest". OpenAI added that it currently has no indications that he inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data, and that it treats the protection of its technology, data and people as a matter of national importance.
No lawyer or public response on behalf of Alfozan had been reported at the time of publication.
Sources: Who is Abdulrahman Alfozan? OpenAI employee arrested for planting recording device (Lokmat Times)
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi Arabian national, was charged with using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications, the US Department of Justice said. According to the complaint, he allegedly concealed a covert recording device in his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's superintelligence technology.
The hidden audio device was found on September 30 by an OpenAI employee. It had been plugged into a USB port behind a television in the conference room and wrapped in toilet paper, and was believed to have been placed there around September 28. Investigators found the data stored on the device to be encrypted.
CCTV footage and the arrest
The Justice Department said Alfozan was not authorised to access the conference room where the device was found. CCTV footage showed him near the room several times before the discovery, and on October 5 he allegedly entered the room to retrieve the device. A bag containing his wallet, identification card and another recording device similar to the one found in the room was also recovered.
Announcing the arrest, FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency had arrested the individual after he allegedly concealed the device to secretly record communications about the company's superintelligence tech, calling protection of American AI innovation one of the bureau's highest counterintelligence priorities.
OpenAI has terminated Alfozan. The company said it believed he planted the device a few days before it was discovered and that the FBI "moved quickly to make an arrest". OpenAI added that it currently has no indications that he inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data, and that it treats the protection of its technology, data and people as a matter of national importance.
No lawyer or public response on behalf of Alfozan had been reported at the time of publication.
Sources: Who is Abdulrahman Alfozan? OpenAI employee arrested for planting recording device (Lokmat Times)
