Unelected bureaucrat Elon Musk has managed to get his hands on the private data of millions of federal employees, prompting the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to file a lawsuit seeking immediate intervention.
Through his hilariously-named Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE — get it? Such crypto, much cringe), Musk now has access to a treasure trove of government worker data — Social Security numbers, health records, union activities, and more.
As reported in EFF's complaint, DOGE's team includes a 19-year-old known online as "Big Balls" who was previously fired from a cybersecurity firm for leaking proprietary information. The Washington Post notes that security officials worry "Russia, China, Iran and other adversaries could seek to exploit the chaos" given that many DOGE agents lack proper security clearance.
"They could put a new file in someone's record; they could modify an existing record," one OPM official told The Washington Post. "They could delete that record out of the database… or export it to some nongovernment server, or to their own PC, or to a Google Drive. Or to a foreign country."
The lawsuit hinges on the Privacy Act of 1974, which requires individual consent for sharing government records except in limited circumstances.
But really, what could possibly go wrong with giving unfettered access to millions of Americans' private data to a guy who spent $44 billion on Twitter just to let Nazis back on?
Previously:
• DOGE upending child safety and human trafficking programs
• Musk's DOGE boy reportedly screams at senior staffers trying to protect personal data: 'Idiots!'
• Silicon Valley's DOGE project: The plan to replace democracy
• 'Be kind' desk sign deemed contraband by Musk's DOGE enforcers
• Alt National Park Service has a message for DOGE leaders
• Elon Musk dispatches DOGE agents across country before he's even inaugurated
• Trump's beclowning of DOGE shows how little waste they'll cut
