Multiple reports say OpenAI’s AI models accessed publicly available U.S. government data, including information from the Census Bureau and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). People familiar with the situation tell outlets that the interactions involve “agentic” systems that can fetch and use information from external sources.
Citing information attributed to Bloomberg News, several outlets report that the activity occurred through public-facing U.S. websites, including Census.gov and SEC.gov. NDTV additionally cites investor-related sites, saying Investor.gov and SEC.gov were among those accessed. The information is described as limited to data that is publicly available, with ongoing reviews focusing on the scope of model activity and any potential impacts.
Outlets differ mainly in how specifically they describe the websites involved and the framing of the reports. However, they broadly agree that the access centers on public government datasets rather than non-public or proprietary information, and that an internal review is being considered in response to the reported activity.
