Already, associates of the government-slashing initiative led by Elon Musk have accessed sensitive data across numerous agencies even as federal employees object, resign or are fired in the process.
There are at least fourteen lawsuits alleging violations of federal privacy protections across agencies, according to the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology.
Now, the DOGE team is building a single, cross-agency master database by combining sensitive information from various agencies, according to whistleblower information Democrats on the House’s oversight committee say they’ve received.
“It’s terrifying,” said John Davisson, senior counsel and director of litigation at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which sued the Office of Personnel Management and Treasury Department in February over personnel records and payment system data that was taken.
“The Privacy Act is really designed to prevent this exact thing from happening, and it’s pretty horrifying to watch it playing out now,” he said.
It is an “egregious disregard towards existing privacy laws,” said one former government technology official, who requested anonymity for fear or retribution.
For one agency to share information with other agencies, they either have to get written consent from the individuals in that database before disclosing their information or use a limited exception in the statute, at which point documentation requirements kick in.
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