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Toilet paper and secret recorders: What we know about the arrest of the Saudi OpenAI engineer

Abdulrahman Alfozan had worked for the AI giant for more than a year before he was arrested by the FBI.

Toilet paper and secret recorders: What we know about the arrest of the Saudi OpenAI engineer

A Saudi engineer for OpenAI was arrested and charged with attempting to secretly record conversations in the company's meeting rooms. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was brought before a federal court in California on October 11 and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if found guilty. The arrest came after OpenAI discovered a hidden audio recorder behind a TV in a room where highly confidential discussions took place, and CCTV footage showed Alfozan entering the room.

He had previously asked AI for guidance on building and installing recording devices and how to access them remotely. The FBI arrested him on October 9, and his employment with OpenAI was terminated. Alfozan's lawyer maintains his client's innocence and requests a fair hearing.

Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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