Security researchers have uncovered a secret AI surveillance system operated by the KYC provider Persona in collaboration with OpenAI, which has been monitoring millions of users since November 2023. This system performs 269 checks on users’ identities, including facial comparisons with global politicians, and it files reports directly with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Researchers discovered 53MB of exposed source code on a government endpoint that reveals the system’s architecture, confirming its connection to U.S. regulatory watchlists. Persona automatically screens over 99% of OpenAI users, raising significant privacy concerns among advocates who have long warned about the implications of such KYC measures.
OpenAI’s secret surveillance system exposed by security researchers
