This is the $24 gizmo the FBI says was used to bug OpenAI's offices
The recording device the FBI says was used to bug an OpenAI conference room isn't exactly state-of-the-art.
TL;DR
- A postage-stamp-sized microcontroller, the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense, can be purchased for $24 on Amazon or about $14 from the manufacturer in China.
- Authorities allege a former OpenAI employee used this device to bug an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco headquarters.
- The device, a miniature computer with a built-in microphone, can record audio and save it to a memory card without an internet connection.
- An account linked to the suspect's spouse reportedly used a chatbot to seek advice on optimizing the device for surreptitious recording, including speech-activated software and encryption.
- The accused, Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national, was arrested and charged with unlawfully intercepting oral communications.