Since Late January, Elon Musk and the Staff of His Department of Government Efficiency Task Force, Or DOGE, Have Systematically Accessed The Digital Networks and Information DATABASS DATABASES DATABASS DATABASE
Among their first targets were the Treasury’s Payment System and the Government’s Human Resources Department, Known as the Office of Personnel Management, Which MainTains Information On Millions of Federals of Federals of Federal Emporations. DOGE Staff Have also also reported Accessed Payment and Contracting Systems for Medicare and Medicaid, as well as similar databases for the department of veterans Affairs.
Musk is the CEO of Companies with Billion-Doller Government Contracts as Well as a political operative. Last Year, He Spent More Than $ 290 Million to Help Elect President Trump and Other Republicans. He claims that dog’s activities are purely aimed at identifying waste and fraud.
‘The Daily Show’ Gets Real About Elon Musk’s White House Takeover
But political experts say that the systems and data potentially available to musk also give him unprecedented power over his allies, enemeies, business competitors, and the amenican people. One Expert on Authoritarianism, Historian Ruth ben-songCalled His Actions A “New Kind of Coup.” Many of Musk’s actions appear to Violate Federal Law, According to The washington post,
Georgetown University Prof. Abraham l. Newman Told mashable that the information musk and dog has reported
When this data is maintained by Neutral Civil Servants to Execute Core Government Functions, LIKE ISSUING SOCIAL SECURETY Payments to Beneficiary Un on time. ”
And Yet “When they start to be used for other purposes, for political purposes, then they can be extramely extramely danger Underground Empire: How America Weaponized The World Economy,
What data do musk and dog have?
The information musk has access to now, even if in a read-only format as one treasury official insisted, may include social Security Numbers, Federal Employe Health and Personnel Records Ent Loan Data.
Speaking anonymously to The AtlanticOne Federal Contractor with Experience Working on Classified Government Information-Security Systems Called The Situation “The Larges Data Breach and The Largest It Security Breach In OURCH East that’s publicly known. “
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said this week that musk may be ableans’ payment history and bank account numbers, Among other types of personal data.
“Elon now has the power to success out all of that information for his own use,” She said.
Musk may also be able to View Federal Contracts Held by Companies that may or may not be competitors to musk’s own businesses, which include tesla, space, Spa, Spa, and The Social Media Platform X.
Musk has yet to publicly produce an ethics waiver for his work with dog, as required by government employees who have counables of conflicts of interests,
An Attempt by Congress to Subpoena Musk Over Doge’s Recent Actions Failed.
What count musk do with the digital power he now possesses?
1) Stop Government Payments.
Thought the Treasury Department Says Dge has read-only access to its payment system, Wire Reported that one engineer linked to musk had gained administer private privateges over the software that controls social Security Payments and Tax Returns, Among Other Critical Payments Made by the Federal Govarter.
That Doge Employee Resigned Chiursday, after The Wall Street Journal Identified His Previous Social Media Posts that Promoted Racism and Eugenics. By Friday, Musk was Lobbying for Him to Return via A Poll On X.
While The Justice Department has Limited Doge’s Access to the Payment System for Now, Any Renewed Administrative Privileges Goods Goods BE Used by Musk to Stop Payments He Deemed Brudulent or Wasteful,
Indeed, CNN has reported that Musk’s associates at the Treasury Department asked its acting secretary to cease all US Agency for International Development (USAID) payments via the department’s own processing system.
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The agency, which musk successed in gutting this week, provides food, disaster relieve, and medical assistance to some of poost people in the world.
Elon Musk Killing Usaid Would Hurt America’s Future. Here’s why.
University of Michigan Professor Elizabeth Popp Berman, In A Recent Liberal Currents essay called “Personal Discretion Over the Treasury’s Payments System Means the End of Democracy,” outlined the stakes of Musk’s control over the government’s payment systems, particularly if courts do not restrain him.
“Having a President – or, even more so, an Uneeted Billionaire – Hold Direct, Granular Control of Nearly Seven Trillion Dollars is Power Beyond The Founders’ Wildest Derams,” Berman Wrote.
2) Reward allies and punish enemies.
Newman Says that Musk Cold Use Administer Power Over Payments Systems to Divert Resources to Allies and Target people or entities that he, or president trump, Godnissian.
Both men are known to attack their enemies on social media and in public. Trump, for example, said that that involved with the house committee that investment the January 6 Attack “Should Go to Jail.” On his social media platform x, musk recently accused treasury officials of “breaking the law,” without providing evidence.
3) Gain a Massive Competitive Advantage over other business leaders.
Since there seems to be no Firewall Between Musk’s Activity as a special government employee and his role as a ceo, newman says people in business shout be Particularly Alarmed by His ACCESS to Federy.
A rival company could Never outcompete a musk enterprise that understand the government’s inner workings, contracts and payment systems, newman calls. He adds
In the midst of dog’s digital government takeover, musk’s social media company x announced that it was partnering with visa to let users connect their checking and Debit Accounts In Order to Tribe t.
Musk has long wanted to transform x into a payment system for “Everything.” It’s Possible that Doge’s Scourtirs of the Federal Government’s Own Payment System Could also Benefit Musk’s Business ASPITIONS ASPIRATIONS, and WOLLD CRIATE CONFLICTS OF Interest For Interest For Any Busines Leader in that.
4) Use ai to analyze federal speculation and contracts.
Musk plans to use some form of artificial intelligence to analyze federal spending and contrasts, according to the New York Times. It’s Unclear Whiter this would be an ai system that musk owns, or ai programs that the federal government alredy uses.
The washington post Reported on new dog efforts to analyze spending at the department of education, using ai software accessible via microsoft’s cloud computing service azure. That service offers access to a number of ai tools. Doge and microsoft declined to comment on the details to the PostAzure did recently add the chinese ai platform deepsek to its suite of tools, according to reates.
At this moment, there’s no class on the risk of the AI software dog is using – or the safeguards in place to prevent it from making mistakes or committing hallucines.
5) Consolidate and Centralize Power Over the Government’s Basic Functions.
Up until a few weeks ago, America’s basic but vital bureaucratic functions were managed by career civil servants with background cleanese, all of whom Took an oath to servE the united States Constitution. Thos Civil Servants Didn Bollywood to a Centralized System they could command on their oven.
As Musk Gains Entry to Multiple Systems Across the government, it may be possible for Him to Consolidate and Centralize that that that that those polers so that only a handful of trump loyalists cane control.
Potential Consequences of Musk’s New Digital Power For You
1) The government’s digital infrastructure breakes.
As Doge Engineers Work, At Apparent Breakneck Speed, To Access and Analyze Key Systems, Newman Says that there!
For example, unapproved Software Changes Could Hobble Systems that Distribute Social Security and Medicare Payments, Newman Says.
“Mucking about with Systems that are Built on Sixty-YLD COLDE BE Deeply Disruptive to Vital Government Functions, Shutting Down the Social Security Payments Maany To small businesses that depend on Government Contracts for Survival, “Berman Wrote in her essay.
2) Bad Actor Breach Americans’ Data.
The fact that musk and dog has collected Vast Amounts of Americans’ Data in Ways That May Not Comply With The Government’s Security’s Security Practices is Likely of Interest to Foreign GODENMENTS and BAD ACTORS NEWANS That information is highly valuable to anyone who can steal it.
The Atlantic Reported that some of the government’s databases requires a security Clearance – Including those for the Department of Justice and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Can Inclosives ORMATION, Such as Sexual History or Mental Health Records.
For many many us, data breaches have become a mundane fact of life. But as newman notes, the scale and scope of this case make it unique. One person – musk – has the potential to know something about everybody in the US, and that person works for the government.
As the situation unfolds, newman encourage americans to consider the Fate of the Country’s Digital Bureaucracy as Key to Democracy.
“I think we should be very cognizant of the fact that these things that seem Boring, and often have boring names, are often the place where there are power lies,” He Says.
