Federal prosecutors used ChatGPT conversation logs as evidence in the Palisades Fire arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, raising major digital privacy

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, faced three federal charges related to the January 2025 Palisades Fire.

Jurors were unconvinced, and it ended in a mistrial.

Federal prosecutors used ChatGPT conversation logs as evidence in the Palisades Fire arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, raising major digital privacy

A jury declared a mistrial in the case of the U.S. vs. Jonathan Rinderknecht, who stands accused of sparking the Pacific Pallisades fire of 2025.

Jonathan Rinderknecht was accused of deliberately starting last year's fire, which killed a total of 31 people and destroyed more than 6,000 buildings.