OpenAI's Cyber Researcher Verification Program Has No Appeal Process, Researcher Finds

A researcher attempting to access OpenAI's Trusted Access for Cyber program, also called Daybreak, was denied verification by identity provider Persona on August 11, 2026. The denial email directed the applicant to contact OpenAI Support if they believed the decision was a mistake. When the researcher followed that instruction nineteen days later, Support confirmed it cannot override Persona's decisions, provide details on the denial, or allow retries or appeals. The contradiction means the denial points users toward a support channel that is unable to offer any remedy. As a result, the researcher's pre-registered study comparing verified defender access against a control account cannot proceed through this route.