The ACLU warns that “unconfirmed” access to Doge could violate federal law
American Civil Liberties Union (aclu) told the federal lawmakers on Friday. Elon Musk And he Government Efficiency Bureau (Doge) seized control of many federal computer systems that house data that is strictly restricted under federal law. In some cases, they say that deviations in the way data is used are not only illegal, but also illegal.
Doge operatives are pervasive or envisioned in the management of many federal agencies responsible for managing the HR files for approximately 2 million federal employees, and are an office providing a wide range of software and information technology services to the government. .
As part of an effort to purge governments of ideologically unorganized staff, misuse of confidential or personally identifiable data; Violation of federal law. Privacy Act and Federal Information Security Modernization Act For example, it strictly prohibits the unauthorized access and use of government employee data.
In letters to several Congressional Oversight Committee members, ACLU lawyers have access to Doge’s financial system that handles “majority” of federal payments, including social security benefits, tax refunds and pay details. I emphasized. Quote wired Report from TuesdayIn addition to suffocating funds for certain institutions and individuals, lawyers also say that “a large portion of personal information” including “millions of Social Security numbers, bank accounts, business finances, and personal finances.” I’m paying attention to granting Doge access.
The lawyer wrote: Young engineers are subject to unprecedented surveillance over payments to federal employees, social security beneficiaries and small businesses due to their lack of experience with legal requirements for talent, government interests, and privacy.
ACLU lawyers emphasize that under normal circumstances, these systems are under the control of career civil servants with years of training and experience to manage sensitive data that survived the comprehensive review process. .
The group also requires the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the communication records of identified Doge personnel as well as requests that the Task Force may have made to access sensitive, personal data at the Personnel Management Office. Details have also been submitted (Human Resources Management Office) OPM).
Other files that the ACLU is looking for are Doge’s plans to deploy artificial intelligence tools across the government, and how the task force will fit into the federal law Rittany, which protects sensitive financial and medical information. and related to discussion. Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Wired First reported on Thursday Doge, the General Services Bureau, which manages the US government’s IT infrastructure, was beginning to push for rapid deployment of AI chatbots in your home, known as “GSAI.” A source with knowledge of GSA’s previous dealings with AI has said that the agency launched a pilot program last fall, aimed at testing the use of Gemini, a Google workplace-adapted chatbot. I’m telling Wired. However, Doge quickly decided that Gemini would not provide the level of data the task force wanted.