Billionaire Elon Musk’s team of teen and twentysomething DOGE goons are aiming to amass private data from millions of U.S. citizens, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The final goal? A mega-web of highly sensitive data that includes information on peoples’ taxes, Social Security, medical diagnoses, and other personal information.
The central hub will especially fulfill one of President Donald Trump’s key aims: tracking immigrants and speeding up deportations. It also intends to eliminate government fraud and cut “information silos.”
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The people who are normally permitted access to such highly-sensitive personal data are trained on the federal Privacy Act and have to pass background checks. Musk’s DOGE team, however, is in part led by 19-year-old Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, who was reportedly fired from an cybersecurity internship after he was accused of leaking information.
Social Security information often includes names, addresses, bank account info, and how much money you’ve made at every job. It also will offer Musk’s crew an inside glimpse at disability records.
The DOGE team aims to rummage around private information that has been stored in internet vaults for years. The plan stems in part from the encouragement of low-level aides, reported The Post.
In a ruling last month, Obama-appointee and District Judge Ellen Hollander blocked DOGE from accessing Social Security data. But Trump then filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court asking for DOGE to be allowed access.
In the filing, the Solicitor General John Sauer complained that Hollander was treating DOGE employees as “the equivalent of intruders who break into hotel rooms.”
Critics say that DOGE’s attempted merger could risk exposing data to hackers and other foes. Some civil rights advocates fear that the data could be used to counter political opponents or influence government services.
“Separation and segmentation is one of the core principles in sound cybersecurity,” Charles Henderson, a security expert, told The Post. “Putting all your eggs in one basket means I don’t need to go hunting for them—I can just steal the basket.”
The White House says that Americans need not fear. DOGE’s approach is led by “some of the brightest cybersecurity minds in the nation,” said spokesman Harrison Fields, adding that “every action taken is fully compliant with the law.”
“By advancing secure data-sharing across agencies, DOGE is enhancing accountability, eliminating fraud, and streamlining operations across the board,” said Fields.
Data sharing within the government usually requires several steps including legislative permission and public notices of what the government will do. But several staffers at federal agencies told The Post that DOGE is circumventing many normal data-sharing processes. For example, many agencies are no longer keeping records on who altered information despite granting certain staffers greater control over computer systems. DOGE staffers can now add new accounts and disable automated tracking logs, and those who refuse are often fired.
DOGE has already sought to merge separate information databases at federal agencies. They have also removed certain protections surrounding sensitive online info. A website for a new visa program, for instance, was not set up behind an ordinarily-used private network, reported The Post.
There are already several reports of DOGE staffers failing to follow information protection protocols. Many appear to be collecting data just to prove they can, according to a former DOGE employee.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
