DOGE's access to the payroll system of 276,000 federal employees puts government on path to have 'unprecedented power and control' over Americans' information, experts say

Photo of Elon Musk (Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg—Getty Images)

• The Elon-Musk led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gained access over the weekend to the payroll system overseeing the information of 276,000 federal workers. DOGE’s continued access to sensitive data has raised concerns about privacy and cybersecurity, but also about the long-term goal of the advisory group, which has continued to espouse eliminating government waste and fraud.

The Department of Government Efficiency has continued its charge to obtain sensitive government information, gaining access over the weekend to federal payroll systems, raising concerns about the long-term goals of the advisory’s efforts to overhaul U.S. bureaucracy.