The American American Liberties Union (Aclu) told federal legislators on Friday that Elon Musk and his Government Department of Effectiveness (DOGE) have taken control of a certain number of federal computer systems which shelter closely limited data in federal laws. In some cases, the differences in the way the data is used can not only be illegal, says aclu, but unconstitutional.
DOGE agents have infiltrated or assumed control of a certain number of federal agencies which are responsible for the management of personnel files on nearly 2 million federal employees, as well as offices which provide government a wide range software and information technology services.
The unauthorized use of sensitive or personally identifiable data in the context of an effort to purge the government of ideologically non -aligned personnel can constitute a Federal law violation. THE Privacy law and the Federal law on the modernization of information security Strictly prohibit, for example, unauthorized access and the use of government staff data.
In a letter to the members of several Congress surveillance committees, ACLU lawyers highlighted DOGE access to cash systems which manage a “majority” of federal payments, which includes details on social security benefits , tax reimbursements and wages. Citing wired Tuesday reportLawyers note that, in addition to stifling funding to specific agencies or individuals, this grants DOGE access to “TROVES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION”, including “millions of social security numbers, bank accounts , commercial finances and personal finances ”.
Lawyers write: “Access to – and the abuses of – that information could affect millions of people. Young engineers, without any experience of human resources, benefits or legal requirements around privacy, have acquired unprecedented surveillance on payments to federal employees, social security beneficiaries and small businesses – and with She, control of these payments. »»
ACLU lawyers emphasize that, in normal circumstances, these systems would fall under the control of career officials with years of training and experience in the management of sensitive data, which have all survived a complete verification process .
The group also filed requests from Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) for the communication files of the identified DOGE, as well as for the details of any request that the working group may have made for access to sensitive data and personnel at the staff management office (OPM).
Other files that ACLU seeks concerning DOGE plans to deploy artificial intelligence tools through the government, as well as all plans or discussions on how the working group plans to comply with the litany of Federal laws that have safeguarded sensitive financial and medical information, such as the Portability and Health Information Act (HIPAA).
Cable Thursday reported for the first time The fact that the Dogee of the General Services Administration, which manages the IT infrastructure of the American government, began to push to quickly deploy a Chatbot AI Homebrew called “GSAI”. A source knowing GSA’s previous relations with AI indicates to Wired that the agency launched a pilot program last fall aimed at testing the use of Gemini, a chatbot adapted for Google Workplace. DOGE quickly determined that Gemini would not provide the level of data desired by the working group.
