Espionage with an AI giant? Wiretap device discovered in conference room

Espionage with AI giant? Wiretap device discovered in conference room A Saudi engineer from OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is alleged to have installed a recording device in a management conference room. The US Department of Justice reported on Tuesday that the 35-year-old Abdulrahman Alfozan was accused of unlawfully listening to communications. He was reportedly arrested, and he faced up to five years in prison if convicted. Recording device hidden in toilet paper Alfozan was reportedly arrested on October 9th and appeared before a federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday. According to court documents, the device was discovered on September 30th. It was hidden in the USB port of a television and concealed in toilet paper. It was said to have been placed there two days earlier. The contents of the device were encrypted. A second similar device was reportedly found in a bag that Alfozan had left in the company premises. Consultations on strictly confidential topics According to investigators, strictly confidential topics, including research projects, product plans, business relations, and contacts with authorities, were regularly discussed in the conference room. Alfozan allegedly had no access rights, but surveillance videos showed him in the vicinity of the room multiple times. According to court documents, inquiries about building a recording device, real-time eavesdropping, and encryption were previously made to an AI assistant account linked to one of his wives. Engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan released on the day of his arrest OpenAI explained that the device was constructed in a way that it was difficult to discover. The company reported the case to the FBI and released the engineer, who had been employed since July 2025, on the day of his arrest. "So far, we have no evidence that this person has accessed model parameters, source code, or customer data without authorization," said a company spokesperson. Alfozan is scheduled to appear in court again on October 19th. Then a decision will be made regarding his further detention.