Elon Musk takes control of government computer system, officials now locked out

Elon Musk aides have locked millions of federal government employees out of data systems, concerns include cybersecurity and lack of oversight.

Elon Musk takes control of government computer system, officials now locked out
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Tech and Science Editor
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TL;DR: Elon Musk's aides have restricted access to data systems for millions of federal government employees, raising concerns about cybersecurity and lack of oversight.

Senior officials at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have suddenly lost access to critical department databases, which is reportedly part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plan to slash government spending through downsizing.

Protest outside the Office of Personnel Management headquarters, Washington, D.C

Protest outside the Office of Personnel Management headquarters, Washington, D.C

The report from Reuters cites two anonymous federal agents who told the publication that OPM officials were locked out of a database that contains the personal data of millions of federal employees. The report states that aides to Elon Musk initiated the lockout of the officials at OPM and that the movie is part of a broader government overhaul aimed at reducing bureaucracy and implementing cost-cutting strategies.

One of the systems is called the Enterprise Human Resources Integration, and it contains dates of birth, Social Security numbers, appraisals, home addresses, pay grades, and length of service of government workers. According to the unnamed officials, OPM workers are still able to log on and access functions such as email, but they are no longer able to see the massive database that contains information on every federal worker. The unnamed officials said that since OPM employees have "no visibility" of the database, and that creating "great concern" for "real cybersecurity and hacking implications."

"We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems," one of the officials said. "That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications."

"It feels like a hostile takeover," the employee said

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Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms.

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