Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The fifth round of Iran-US talks ended after three and a half hours.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The fifth round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States has begun at the headquarters of the Sultanate of Oman's mission in Rome.
Turkish public prosecutor has issued arrest warrants for 63 active-duty military personnel over alleged links to a group accused of orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt
Kremlin says no agreements yet on next platform for Russia-Ukraine negotiations
YAF spokesperson: We targeted Lydd Airport, known as Ben-Gurion Airport, with a hypersonic missile
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: Two Israeli airstrikes targeted Wadi al-Aziziya in the Tyre district.
CIA spokesperson says law enforcement responded to a security incident outside CIA headquarters.
Brigadier General Saree: Operation achieved its targeted successfully, forcing millions of Zionists to flee to shelters, and halted air traffic at the airport.
YAF spokesperson: We've executed a military operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport in occupied Yafa with ballistic hypersonic missile.
IOF warning forces residents to evacuate and head South in preparation for expansion of aggression.

Musk’s DOGE agents access sensitive, restricted federal personnel data

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Washington Post
  • 6 Feb 2025 19:31
5 Min Read

The tightly restricted data contain personally identifiable information of millions of federal employees managed by the Office of Personnel Management.

  • x
  • People protest during a rally against Elon Musk outside the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP)
    People protest during a rally against Elon Musk outside the US Department of Labor in Washington, on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. (AP)

Agents from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have gained access to restricted government records on millions of federal employees, including those in sensitive security roles at the Treasury and State Departments, The Washington Post reported, citing four US officials familiar with the situation.

The same sources added that the incident is part of a broader effort to assert control over the government’s primary personnel agency.

The officials, who spoke anonymously due to WashPo's fears of retaliation, voiced concerns about potential misuse or security breaches of these records, especially given that senior administration figures, including  US President Donald Trump, have threatened action against federal workers deemed disloyal.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) maintains these records, which contain extensive details on federal employees, including addresses, demographic data, salaries, and disciplinary records, as per the report.

DOGE’s moves at OPM align with similar efforts to access sensitive systems at other agencies, such as the Treasury Department’s payment processing system.

Driving the news

According to documents obtained by The Post, several DOGE team members—some in their early 20s and with backgrounds in Musk’s private companies—received "administrative" access to OPM systems just days after Trump’s inauguration. This level of access allows them to install and modify software on government devices and, as two OPM officials confirmed, even alter internal records of their activities.

The push for access coincided with Musk’s deputies arriving at OPM with plans to eliminate 70% of its workforce, officials said. A senior OPM official stated during a team meeting Wednesday that essential units focused on modernizing networks and enhancing accountability are "likely to go away," according to a recording obtained by The Post. Key personnel, including the agency’s chief information officer and chief financial officer, have already been reassigned.

Related News

Russia ties peace deal with Ukraine to prisoner exchange completion

Boeing reaches deal with DoJ to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes

Morale at OPM has reportedly plummeted as DOGE agents clash with career officials. One OPM official described a recent meeting where a young DOGE member "began screaming at senior developers and calling them ‘idiots.’"

The pause on IT upgrades, combined with the introduction of outsiders capable of installing new software, raises concerns about cybersecurity vulnerabilities at OPM, which has previously been targeted by foreign intelligence agencies. A major breach in 2014, attributed to China, exposed background investigations of over 20 million individuals seeking security clearances.

Why it matters

A former US intelligence official likened the situation to weakening a castle’s defenses: "It’s like you’re defending some medieval castle and someone comes in and starts firing all the archers who are positioned to defend it. You let your defenses down. It’s a perfect time to strike."

A DOGE representative did not respond to questions about data access or security protocols. Similarly, OPM officials did not answer inquiries. However, a US official said as quoted by WaPo that "everyone with access to sensitive systems is a government employee with the appropriate clearances."

While the Trump administration has suggested that DOGE personnel are authorized to review sensitive records, it has not clarified whether they have been formally issued security clearances. US officials noted that the speed at which clearances may have been granted raises concerns that standard protocols, such as FBI background checks, might have been bypassed.

Last month, Trump issued an executive order overriding standard White House staff security screening procedures, though it made no direct mention of DOGE.

The big picture

At least six DOGE agents were granted broad access to all OPM personnel systems on January 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration, with three more receiving access a week later, according to two agency officials.

The data accessible to DOGE includes personal information from federal employees stored in systems such as Enterprise Human Resources Integration and the Electronic Official Personnel Folder. It also contains details on individuals who applied for federal jobs via USAJobs, which had 24.5 million applicants last year alone.

Two OPM officials told The Washington Post that the level of access DOGE agents possess enables them to manipulate records extensively.

"They could put a new file in someone’s record, they could modify an existing record," one official said.

"They could delete that record out of the database. They could export all that data about people who are currently or formerly employed by the government, they could export it to some nongovernment server, or to their own PC, or to a Google Drive. Or to a foreign country," they added.

  • United States
  • sensitive personnel data
  • DOGE agents
  • Elon Musk
  • Donald Trump
  • federal employees

Most Read

YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben-Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

  • MENA
  • 18 May 2025
Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza

Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza

  • MENA
  • 17 May 2025
Rachel Accurso criticized for speaking out on Gaza children crisis

Ms. Rachel accused of antisemitism for speaking out for Gaza children

  • Politics
  • 20 May 2025
Martyrs, injuries in violent Israeli bombardment of southern Gaza

Israeli operation fails; IOF launch violent strikes on Gaza

  • Politics
  • 19 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Eric Coquerel, a parliament member of the far-left La France Insoumise (The Unbowed) party attends a demonstration outside Sciences-Po university in Paris, Friday, April 26, 2024 (AP)
Politics

French teacher suspended for minute of silence in solidarity with Gaza

Palestinian landlord Akram Sabra, 60, stands next to a vehicle burnt under attack by Israeli settlers overnight, in the West Bank village of Bruqin, near Salfit Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Politics

Israeli settlers torch homes, vehicles in West Bank village

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, reads a paper in a meeting with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi at the Omani Embassy in Rome during the fifth round of Iran-US negotiations, Friday, May 23, 2025 (Iran Foreign Ministry)
Politics

Iran-US talks in Rome yield limited progress, Omani FM says

AP
Politics

EU sought ship, port, energy ties in nixed proposal to Trump: Report

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS