Employee Accused of Hiding Recorder in Company Meeting Room
A 35-year-old employee has been charged with trying to secretly record private conversations inside an executive meeting room at his workplace in San Francisco. The Saudi national, Abdulrahman Alfozan, is accused of placing a hidden audio recorder in the room. He was arrested and has since lost his job as an engineering lead.
Recorder Found Behind a Television
Employees found a small recording device plugged into a USB port behind a television in the executive conference room. The device had reportedly been wrapped in toilet paper. It was allegedly placed there shortly before it was discovered.
Alfozan is accused of going near the meeting room several times before the device was found, even though he did not have permission to enter or attend the meetings held there. Security video showed him near the room, according to the allegations in the case.
The room was used for talks about highly private company matters. These included technical research, product plans, business opportunities, company progress, strategic choices, government work, and relationships with business partners.
Questions About Planning
Investigators also allege that Alfozan used a workplace productivity tool to collect information about the company’s offices and meeting spaces. The information included building addresses, room sizes, room schedules, where senior leaders could be found, and meetings with outside partners.
A chatbot account linked to Alfozan’s spouse was allegedly used to ask about making and setting up a recording device. The prompts covered building a recorder, adding wireless connections, improving audio and live listening, encrypting a memory card, and hiding the device from notice.
Other prompts reportedly asked about the device’s custom header and unique network address. Those questions were submitted close to the time the recorder was allegedly installed.
On a later visit to the conference room, Alfozan is accused of looking behind the television where the recorder had been placed. That same day, he allegedly left a bag unattended in another room in the company’s building. The bag reportedly held a second recording device, along with his wallet and identification.
How the Company Responded
The company said it found a sophisticated recording device and used its own artificial intelligence tools to examine what the device was and where it may have come from. After connecting an employee to the matter, the company referred it to federal investigators.
The device was described as having advanced encryption, audio monitoring features, and a way to send information that was designed to avoid detection. The company has not publicly explained every feature that made the device sophisticated.
The company said it has found no sign that Alfozan improperly accessed or took company model weights, source code, or customer information. It also said its security program is meant to guard against threats from people inside an organization, online criminals, and foreign governments.
Charges and Possible Penalties
Alfozan faces a charge related to using, or trying to use, an electronic or mechanical device to intercept spoken conversations. He has not been convicted. The claims against him remain allegations, and the charge must be proven in court.
If found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He could also be placed under supervised release for three years after serving any prison term.
Separate Company Discipline
The case comes after the company dismissed three safety researchers following an internal investigation. The company said the researchers had broken its rules for handling sensitive information. The available details do not connect those dismissals to the recording-device allegations.