Saudi man charged with planting 'sophisticated' recording device in OpenAI office

Image source, US Department of JusticeImage caption, Prosecutors released CCTV images of the suspect allegedly checking on the secret recorder.

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Publicado em 13 de outubro de 2026, 22:19 BST.

A Saudi national has been charged with secretly planting a recording device in one of OpenAI's offices in California, federal prosecutors announced.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, que trabalhou na empresa de IA como engenheiro, foi acusado federalmente de usar ou tentar usar um dispositivo eletrônico, mecânico ou outro para interceptar comunicações orais.

OpenAI disse que havia descoberto um "sophisticated recording device" escondido em seu escritório de São Francisco e alertou o FBI. A empresa afirmou que usou seus modelos de IA para rastrear que havia sido plantado por um funcionário.

Prosecutors say the device, wrapped in toilet paper, was found inserted in a USB port on the back of a TV in an executive conference room.

OpenAI, the maker of the popular chatbot ChatGPT, said that it has no indication that source code, model weights or customer data were inappropriately accessed or taken in the incident.

According to the complaint, Alfozan "allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.

Patel said that the alleged goal was to capture information about the company's AI product.

Alfozan tem trabalhado como engenheiro na OpenAI desde julho de 2025, dizem os promotores.

On 30 September, OpenAI employees discovered the device - two days after prosecutors say it had been installed. The device was encrypted, prosecutors said.

OpenAI disse que conseguiu usar seus modelos de IA “para entender o dispositivo e de onde ele havia vindo, identificando que um funcionário específico o havia plantado alguns dias antes.”.

According to the FBI, the suspect used a "productivity tool" and a "chatbot" to research sensitive locations at OpenAI and how to secretly place audio equipment.

He is also accused of using the chatbot to ask about "'build[ing] a continuous audio recorder,' 'customiz[ing] Wi-Fi . . . connectivity,' 'improv[ing] audio and live listening,' and 'encrypt[ing] the SD card.

Image source, US Department of JusticeImage caption, The device was allegedly concealed in toilet paper.

Em 5 de outubro, os promotores dizem que ele supostamente voltou para inspecionar o dispositivo na sala de escritório. Os promotores usaram imagens de câmeras de vigilância para vinculá-lo à cena.

That same day, Alfozan left a bag unattended in a different part of the building. A security team for OpenAI opened it to find his wallet and ID, as well as another recording device that was similar to the one found in the office conference room, prosecutors said.

Alfozan appeared in court on Tuesday. It's unclear whether he has legal representation.

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