Elon Musk's DOGE requests access to sensitive US tax system, sparks privacy concerns
Elon Musk was appointed as a special US government employee, heading the newly established DOGE, by the newly sworn in President Donald Trump.
Billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has raised alarms after requesting access to the US tax office's system, which contains sensitive financial data about millions of Americans, according to reports from US media outlets.
Led by Elon Musk, who leads firms like Tesla and SpaceX and is the world’s wealthiest person currently, DOGE’s request aligns with efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to reduce public spending it deems wasteful or misaligned with its policies.
The tech billionaire was appointed as a special US government employee, heading the newly established DOGE, by the newly sworn in President Donald Trump.
DOGE's request triggers privacy concerns
The Washington Post and other outlets reported that DOGE is seeking broad access to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) systems, property, and databases. This includes the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), which is typically reserved for limited use, providing "instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts," according to the IRS.
As of Sunday evening, the request had not been granted, reports said.
The move has triggered concern within the government and among privacy experts, who warn that granting Elon Musk access to such private taxpayer information could be dangerously risky, as reported by ABC News.
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"People who share their most sensitive information with the federal government do so under the understanding that not only will it be used legally, but also handled securely and in ways that minimize risks like identity theft and personal invasion, which this reporting brings into serious question," ABC News quoted as saying Elizabeth Laird, a former state privacy officer now with the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields defended the request.
"Waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long. It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it," NBC News quoted Fields as saying.
