Grant whistleblower protections to AI safety researchers

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Key insights

Many supportive quotes treat whistleblower protections as one part of a broader package that also includes safety frameworks, incident reporting, audits, security standards, and compliance processes.
Several supporters argue that the problem is not only retaliation after disclosure but also barriers before disclosure, including NDAs, trade-secret concerns, non-disparagement pressure, and the absence of anonymous or confidential channels.
A key disagreement is whether AI needs its own whistleblower regime: many quotes call existing protections inadequate for AI-specific concerns, while the opposing quote argues existing state law already covers retaliation.
Even among supporters, scope is unsettled: some favor the broadest possible good-faith coverage, while others emphasize catastrophic, security, or other substantial dangers as the core target.
The supportive quotes come from legislators, government offices, advocacy groups, lawyers, researchers, and some AI and security companies, showing overlap across policy, civil-society, and industry voices.

Arguments for

Insiders as early warning

Supporters say the people inside AI labs and systems are best placed to see hidden dangers, concerning practices, and failures before the public or regulators can. In this view, protecting workers and researchers from retaliation is necessary for transparency, accountability, and timely warnings about risks to public safety and national security.

The AI Whistleblower Protection Act is rooted in a simple but urgent principle: as technology becomes more powerful, the people who raise concerns about it must be protected. AI systems can amplify bias, obscure accountability, and cause harm at a massive scale when deployed with…

Justin Smulison · Jun 21, 2026 · full quote
We need whistleblowers now more than ever. But how can we rely on insiders to shield us from high-stakes AI failures when they lack industry-wide protections and remain vulnerable to retaliation? Whistleblowers are our primary line of defense in this field. But shields need prote…

Kariema El Touny · Feb 24, 2026 · full quote
Ensuring transparency and accountability in the rapidly evolving field of AI is a public interest and national security imperative. Employees in the industry have firsthand knowledge of practices that may jeopardize public safety and our national security. The AI Whistleblower Pr…

Brad Carson · May 15, 2026 · full quote
As powerful technologies increasingly shape society behind closed doors, we need more than ever to shed sunlight on what’s happening inside the black box of tech. The people best positioned to do that are the workers inside these systems. Protecting them isn’t optional, it’s a de…

Jennifer Gibson · Feb 27, 2026 · full quote
In order for @OpenAI and other AI companies to be held accountable to their own commitments on safety, security, governance and ethics, the public must have confidence that employees will not be retaliated against for speaking out.

Jacob Hilton · Jun 4, 2024 · full quote

Current protections leave gaps

Supporters argue AI whistleblowing is not adequately covered by existing laws, which they say often focus on outright illegal activity rather than concerning internal practices or emerging risks. They also say workers may be deterred by retaliation, NDAs, trade-secret claims, non-disparagement pressure, and the lack of anonymous or confidential channels, so explicit legal protections are needed.

If AI companies want to claim that they are building the most world-changing technology to ever exist, their employees should be able to share concerns about risks to public safety along the way without fearing the repercussions. AI whistleblowing is largely unprotected by existi…

Helen Toner · Apr 22, 2026 · full quote
Last month, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) led a bipartisan team of policymakers to introduce the AI Whistleblower Protection Act. The bill would prohibit retaliation against workers in the AI industry who raise the alarm about failures in AI safety or security. The AI Whistleb…

Nate Karren · Jun 11, 2025 · full quote
AI whistleblowers are essential to safer, more ethical AI because they surface hidden risks and serve as regulators of last resort. This requires that we build a whistleblowing system that not only relies on the moral courage of whistleblowers but also provides a safer channel of…

Apoorv Agarwal · Feb 10, 2026 · full quote
The confidentiality agreements often contain gagging language that violates an SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] law that says you can’t interfere with a whistleblower’s ability to report to external regulators.

Mary Inman · Feb 26, 2026 · full quote
That the company will facilitate a verifiably anonymous process for current and former employees to raise risk-related concerns to the company’s board, to regulators, and to an appropriate independent organization with relevant expertise; Companies have a legitimate interest to …

William Saunders · 2024 · full quote
Establish whistleblower protections drawn from the NSM on AI, ensuring personnel can report AI misuse, civil liberties concerns, and safety violations without fear of reprisal, with anonymous and confidential reporting procedures.

Adam Schiff · Jun 8, 2026 · full quote

Broader safety governance

Many supporters place whistleblower protections within a larger governance framework for the largest or most capable AI developers. They pair protections with published safety frameworks, independent audits, incident reporting, security standards, compliance processes, and confidential reporting channels so safety obligations are not only announced but enforceable.

Companies developing the most capable systems should meet clear requirements, including independent audits, incident reporting, strong security standards, and whistleblower protections.

Chris Lehane · Jul 15, 2026 · full quote
The Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act establishes a framework requiring developers of the largest advanced AI systems to publicly disclose safety practices, report significant safety incidents, and maintain robust compliance processes. The law also creates confidential …

Office of Governor JB Pritzker · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
Require the largest AI companies to publish and comply with safety frameworks, submit to third-party audits, and ensure whistleblowers are protected.

Lori Trahan · Jun 1, 2026 · full quote
Additionally, this bill includes strong whistleblower protections for employees who raise safety concerns and independent third-party audits to verify compliance.

Daniel Didech · May 27, 2026 · full quote
SB 315 takes the safety practices leading labs already follow voluntarily—publishing a safety framework, transparent reporting, protecting whistleblowers—and helps establish a baseline that every leading AI developer is expected to meet. [...] Illinois lawmakers have set a new st…

Cesar Fernandez · 2026 · full quote
Signing Senate Bill 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, in 2025, requiring the largest frontier AI developers to publicly disclose their safety frameworks, report certain critical safety incidents to the state, and protect whistleblowers who call out ser…

Government of California · Aug 10, 2026 · full quote

Safe harbor for research

Some quotes focus specifically on AI safety and security research, arguing that good-faith testing and disclosure should have clear authorization and safe-harbor protection. On this view, researchers should be able to report vulnerabilities, misconduct, or reasonably necessary information without facing legal or employment risk for doing responsible work.

The Good Faith AI Research Safe Harbor establishes clear authorization and legal protections for researchers testing AI systems in good faith.

HackerOne · Jan 20, 2026 · full quote
Organizations want their AI systems tested, but researchers need confidence that doing the right thing won’t put them at risk.

Ilona Cohen · Jan 20, 2026 · full quote
By extending safe harbor protections to AI research, HackerOne is defining how responsible testing should work in the AI era.

Kara Sprague · Jan 20, 2026 · full quote
The California Legislature should amend Civil Code § 3426.1 to create a safe harbor excluding from “misappropriation” disclosures of reasonably necessary information to designated state bodies for reporting significant AI-related public harm.

Michael Endrias · Mar 4, 2026 · full quote
Congress could pass legislation to prohibit employment discrimination against whistleblowers reporting AI security vulnerabilities. Some security researchers at frontier AI companies complain that they are discouraged from informing policymakers about major security vulnerabiliti…

Yusuf Mahmood · Apr 16, 2026 · full quote
Whistleblowers: the treaty provides incentives and safe harbor for researchers who report illegal, secret operations.

Robi Rahman · Apr 9, 2026 · full quote

Arguments against

Existing laws may suffice

This view holds that existing whistleblower laws already protect employees from retaliation, so a separate AI-specific regime is unnecessary. Its proponents warn that adding a distinct AI framework could create confusion, duplicate rules, and produce unintended consequences for employers in highly technical and competitive fields.

Connecticut already has strong whistleblower laws that protect employees from retaliation. [...] creating a separate, AI-specific whistleblower regime could lead to confusion, duplication, and unintended consequences for employers operating in highly technical and competitive fie…

Christopher Davis · 2026 · full quote

Middle ground

Scope and thresholds

Supportive quotes differ on how narrowly protected reporting should be defined. Some argue the broadest possible scope is best and that good-faith reports based on reasonable suspicion or a substantial and specific potential danger should be protected because AI risks are hard to predict, while others emphasize explicit coverage for catastrophic or foreseeable risks.

finds it concerning that the scope of who can be a protected whistleblower was narrowed, thereby threatening transparency and accountability in a booming industry with already little regulatory framework. [...] believes the broadest possible scope of who can be considered a whist…

Margaux Ewen · Dec 29, 2025 · full quote
“We wanted those to be fairly broad and fairly standard,” she said. “Instead, it was winnowed down to only certain people that work in certain parts of an AI company — and only about certain kinds of threats that related specifically to catastrophic property damage or catastrophi…

Tracy Rosenberg · Dec 29, 2025 · full quote
Protection against retaliation, as in every whistleblowing channel, must be robust and genuinely enforced. Employees should feel secure to report reasonable suspicion of AI-related misconduct, even when there is technical complexity and uncertainty, given the evolving nature of t…

Rocío Riesco · May 25, 2026 · full quote
The bill is protecting whistleblowers if there's a foreseeable risk. [...] The protections may still be in place even if the actual damage did not result in that number because it's foreseeable risk.

Gary Turco · May 1, 2026 · full quote
AI whistleblower laws should specifically protect disclosures related to catastrophic risks.

Karl Koch · Jul 2, 2026 · full quote
It doesn’t seem at all unreasonable to suggest that AI whistleblower legislation... should similarly protect disclosures when the whistleblower believes in good faith... a “substantial and specific” potential danger.

Institute for Law & AI · full quote

Across the quotes, proponents largely frame whistleblower protections as a way to make AI safety commitments credible by protecting the people most able to identify internal risks. The principal objection is that a separate AI-specific regime may duplicate protections that already exist under general whistleblower law. Within the supportive camp, important design questions remain about breadth of coverage, anonymity and confidentiality, and what kinds of danger should trigger protection.

Cast your vote:

Results (93 votes):

Total (93 votes)

For 92 (99%) Abstain 0 (0%) Against 1 (1%)

For (91)

Jeana Lee
Program Manager at the National Whistleblower Center.

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votes For and says:

The people closest to an emerging technology should not have to choose between protecting the public and protecting their careers.
AI Verified source (Sep 5, 2026)

added 13d ago

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Miles Brundage
AI policy researcher; founder of AVERI (AI Verification Initiative); former OpenAI Head of Policy Research

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votes For and says:

These and other commonsense proposals, such as protecting AI whistleblowers who disclose safety incidents directly to the government, deserve vigorous support.
AI Verified source (Aug 21, 2026)

added 16d ago

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Government of California
Executive government of the State of California, publishing official AI policy and procurement standards.

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votes For and says:

Signing Senate Bill 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, in 2025, requiring the largest frontier AI developers to publicly disclose their safety frameworks, report certain critical safety incidents to the state, and protect w...
more AI Verified source (Aug 10, 2026)

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John Curtis
U.S. Senator from Utah; former U.S. Representative; member of the Senate Commerce Committee

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votes For and says:

Whistleblower protections to encourage employees to report violations and protect those who expose harmful practices.
AI Verified source (Aug 5, 2026)

added 18d ago

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European AI Office
European Commission body implementing and enforcing the EU AI Act.

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votes For and says:

The AI Act Whistleblower Tool empowers individuals to securely submit a report and contribute directly to make AI in Europe safe transparent, and trustworthy. [...] Alongside with the secure tool, the AI Office commits itself to a high standard of co...
more AI Verified source (Jul 31, 2026)

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Indah Harahap
Manager of the AI Whistleblower Initiative and editor of its Inside AI newsletter.

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votes For and says:

The AI Whistleblower Protection Act ... is the first piece of US federal legislation written specifically to protect the people inside AI companies who raise safety concerns. [...] We support the bill, and we want to see it enacted—ideally in a stren...
more AI Verified source (Jul 30, 2026)

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AFL-CIO Tech Institute
AFL-CIO policy institute focused on technology’s effects on workers and workplace policy.

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votes For and says:

Several states have passed bills that protect whistleblowers who report critical AI safety incidents from retaliation. These protections matter so that workers can report risks before harms occur. Employees closest to monitoring AI systems can spot d...
more AI Verified source (Jul 30, 2026)

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Patrick Higgins
Managing Director of the LaCross Institute for Ethical AI in Business at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

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votes For and says:

Leaders need to know what their systems are doing, create channels for people across the organization to share concerns and build governance that can adapt as the technology and its uses change.
AI Verified source (Jul 30, 2026)

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Chris Lehane
OpenAI chief global affairs officer

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votes For and says:

Companies developing the most capable systems should meet clear requirements, including independent audits, incident reporting, strong security standards, and whistleblower protections.
AI Verified source (Jul 15, 2026) 1 of 2

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Office of Governor JB Pritzker
Official communications office of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

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votes For and says:

The Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act establishes a framework requiring developers of the largest advanced AI systems to publicly disclose safety practices, report significant safety incidents, and maintain robust compliance processes. The ...
more AI Verified source (Jul 6, 2026)

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State of Illinois
U.S. state government; publisher of official announcements on Illinois artificial intelligence law and policy.

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votes For and says:

The Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act establishes a framework requiring developers of the largest advanced AI systems to publicly disclose safety practices, report significant safety incidents, and maintain robust compliance processes. The ...
more AI Verified source (Jul 6, 2026) 1 of 2

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Maria Collett
Pennsylvania state senator representing the 12th District.

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votes For and says:

In addition, significant AI safety incidents must be reported to state officials within 72 hours of discovery, and whistleblower protections must be honored for employees who raise legitimate safety concerns.
AI Verified source (Jul 6, 2026)

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Office of the Governor of Illinois
Official press office of the Governor of Illinois.

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votes For and says:

The law also creates confidential reporting channels and whistleblower protections for employees raising AI safety concerns.
AI Verified source (Jul 6, 2026)

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Abra Ganz
Head of AI Policy at Pour Demain and researcher on AI oversight and whistleblower protections.

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votes For and says:

Whistleblower protections are a critical mechanism for surfacing risks and have existed across many US states and the federal level for decades – albeit with strongly varying degrees of effectiveness.
AI Verified source (Jul 2, 2026)

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Stephen M. Kohn
Whistleblower-rights attorney

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votes For and says:

From that incident, it became absolutely clear that you need an AI whistleblower bill, a law to protect insiders, corporate employees within that industry.
AI Verified source (Jul 2026) 1 of 2

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Future of Life Institute
Nonprofit on existential risks

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votes For and says:

Strengthen whistleblower protections and align culture with policy.
AI Verified source (Jul 2026)

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Justin Smulison
Journalist and writer for the National Whistleblower Center covering AI whistleblower policy.

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votes For and says:

The AI Whistleblower Protection Act is rooted in a simple but urgent principle: as technology becomes more powerful, the people who raise concerns about it must be protected. AI systems can amplify bias, obscure accountability, and cause harm at a ma...
more AI Verified source (Jun 21, 2026) 1 of 2

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National Whistleblower Center
Whistleblower advocacy nonprofit

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votes For and says:

As AI becomes more embedded in modern culture and global infrastructure, the need for accountability has become increasingly necessary. That is why the passage of the AI Whistleblower Protection Act (AIWPA) is one of the National Whistleblower Center...
more AI Verified source (Jun 21, 2026) 1 of 2

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Adam Schiff
U.S. Senator from California; former House Intelligence Committee chair

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votes For and says:

Establish whistleblower protections drawn from the NSM on AI, ensuring personnel can report AI misuse, civil liberties concerns, and safety violations without fear of reprisal, with anonymous and confidential reporting procedures.
AI Verified source (Jun 8, 2026)

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Lori Trahan
U.S. representative from Massachusetts

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votes For and says:

Require the largest AI companies to publish and comply with safety frameworks, submit to third-party audits, and ensure whistleblowers are protected.
AI Verified source (Jun 1, 2026)

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Daniel Didech
Illinois State Representative (Democrat); lead House sponsor of SB 315, the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act

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votes For and says:

Additionally, this bill includes strong whistleblower protections for employees who raise safety concerns and independent third-party audits to verify compliance.
AI Verified source (May 27, 2026)

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Cloud Security Alliance AI Safety Initiative
Initiative of the Cloud Security Alliance focused on AI safety, security, and governance.

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votes For and says:

California’s SB 53 provides the most concrete existing disclosure mandate in the United States. For models trained above 10^26 floating-point operations, it requires safety incident reporting to California authorities within fifteen days, transparenc...
more AI Verified source (May 25, 2026)

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Rocío Riesco

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votes For and says:

Protection against retaliation, as in every whistleblowing channel, must be robust and genuinely enforced. Employees should feel secure to report reasonable suspicion of AI-related misconduct, even when there is technical complexity and uncertainty, ...
more AI Verified source (May 25, 2026)

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Illinois General Assembly
State legislature of Illinois, United States.

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votes For and says:

An employer may not take retaliatory action against an employee for disclosing or threatening to disclose in good faith any violation of the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act.
AI Verified source (May 22, 2026)

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Mary Edly-Allen
Illinois State Senator (D-Libertyville); lead sponsor of SB 315, a frontier AI safety and transparency bill requiring independent third-party audits of major AI developers

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votes For and says:

Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly and is like the ‘Wild Wild West’ with little to no guardrails in place. This bill balances the great promise of AI with its possible peril.
AI Verified source (May 21, 2026)

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Gary Turco
Connecticut state representative and vice chair of the General Law Committee.

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votes For and says:

The bill is protecting whistleblowers if there's a foreseeable risk. [...] The protections may still be in place even if the actual damage did not result in that number because it's foreseeable risk.
AI Verified source (May 1, 2026)

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United States Congress
Federal legislature of the United States; official congressional reports and records.

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votes For and says:

Subtitle C—AI Whistleblower Protection. SEC. 521. Definitions. SEC. 522. Anti-retaliation protection for AI whistleblowers.
AI Verified source (Apr 28, 2026)

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Sam de Bruin
Researcher at Sheffield University Management School studying governance and organisational silence at frontier AI labs.

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votes For and says:

I close by proposing three concrete reforms: independent safety boards with statutory employee reporting rights, a mandatory incident reporting framework modelled on the Aviation Safety Reporting System, and restrictions on the use of unvested equity...
more AI Verified source (Apr 25, 2026)

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Yvonne Toner
Researcher specializing in the governance and safety of advanced artificial intelligence.

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votes For and says:

Pass the AI Whistleblower Protection Act and seek other ways to use existing authorities to promote transparency from frontier AI companies about their most advanced systems. Chair Grassley’s Whistleblower Protection Act would significantly improve A...
more AI Verified source (Apr 22, 2026)

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Helen Toner
Interim Executive Director at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET); former OpenAI board member

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votes For and says:

If AI companies want to claim that they are building the most world-changing technology to ever exist, their employees should be able to share concerns about risks to public safety along the way without fearing the repercussions. AI whistleblowing is...
more AI Verified source (Apr 22, 2026) 1 of 3

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