If you don’t know about the newly created US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), there’s a strong chance they already know about you.Created on January 20 by US President Donald Trump through&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Executive Order</a>, DOGE’s broad mandate is “modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”To fulfill its mission, though, DOGE has taken great interest in Americans’ data.On February 1, DOGE team members without the necessary security clearances&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-musk-trump-classified-information-usaid-security-35101dee28a766e0d9705e0d47958611" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">accessed classified information belonging to the US Agency for International Development</a>. On February 17, multiple outlets reported that DOGE sought access to IRS data that includes names, addresses, social security numbers, income, net worth, bank information for direct deposits, and bankruptcy history. The next day, the commissioner of the Social Security Administration stepped down after DOGE requested access to information stored there, too, which includes records of lifetime wages and earnings, social security and bank account numbers, the type and amount of benefits individuals received, citizenship status, and disability and medical information. And last month, one US resident&nbsp;<a href="https://databreaches.net/2025/02/06/maybe-we-should-all-file-breach-reports-against-musk-like-kevin-did/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">filed a data breach notification report</a>&nbsp;with his state’s Attorney General alleging that his data was breached by DOGE and the man behind it, Elon Musk.In speaking with the news outlet Data Breaches Dot Net, the man, Kevin Couture, said:“I filed the report with my state Attorney General against Elon Musk stating my privacy rights were violated as my Social Security Number, banking info was compromised by accessing government systems and downloading the info without my consent or knowledge. What other information did he gather on me or others? This is wrong and illegal. I have no idea who has my information now.”Today on the Lock and Code podcast with host David Ruiz, we speak with Sydney Saubestre, senior policy analyst at New America’s Open Technology Institute, about what data DOGE has accessed, why the government department is claiming it requires that access, and whether or not it is fair to call some of this access a “data breach.”“[DOGE] haven’t been able to articulate why they want access to some of these data files other than broad ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’ That, ethically, to me, points to it being a data breach.”Tune in today.You can also find us on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lock-and-code/id1500049667" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3VB1MCXNk76TSddNNZcDuo?si=b454MPzCTYWvvS5bOPdxcA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and whatever preferred podcast platform you use.For all our cybersecurity coverage, visit Malwarebytes Labs at <a href="https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">malwarebytes.com/blog</a>.Show notes and credits:Intro Music: “Spellbound” by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>Outro Music: “Good God” by Wowa (unminus.com)Listen up—Malwarebytes doesn't just talk cybersecurity, we provide it.Protect yourself from online attacks that threaten your identity, your files, your system, and your financial well-being with our <a href="https://try.malwarebytes.com/lockandcode/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exclusive offer for Malwarebytes Premium for Lock and Code listeners</a>.

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Did DOGE "breach" Americans' data? (feat. Sydney Saubestre)

Lock and Code

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews