Netanyahu's adviser revealed to have left AI codes exposed on GitHub

The exposure of source code belonging to an AI-powered news monitoring program on GitHub by Yonatan Urich, a long-time adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, led to a leak of sensitive information. Following the incident, Urich's WhatsApp chats were reportedly leaked online, and police uncovered ChatGPT searches during the Qatargate investigation.

The AI-backed program, which scanned news mentioning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara Netanyahu, Likud, and political rivals every 90 seconds, sent summaries of important developments to two WhatsApp groups. An investigation published by Haaretz in September revealed that Yonatan Urich, a long-time adviser to Netanyahu, left the source code of this program accessible to the public on GitHub. It was stated that the exposed code contained private phone numbers, WhatsApp group identifiers, and access tokens that could allow unauthorized individuals to access group information or send messages. After Urich was alerted, access to the repository was restricted. Calcalist's examinations determined that Urich connected his personal WhatsApp account to Ultramsg, a UAE-based third-party automation service. On October 11, conversations allegedly belonging to Urich's WhatsApp account were published online. Urich's lawyers argued that his communication channels were accessed without authorization and that some correspondences were altered or supported with fabricated content.

On the other hand, Urich's use of ChatGPT also came to light within the scope of a separate criminal investigation. According to a report by Channel 12 on October 12, police investigation materials regarding the Qatargate probe included questions Urich posed to ChatGPT in September 2024 about ways to improve Qatar's image. Urich denied acting to advance Qatar's interests in Israel, stating that these queries did not lead to any actions on his part.