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DOGE Takeover of USDS Allows Them to Surveil the US Government from the Inside

A former USDS employee called the repurposing of the Digital Service into DOGE an “A+ bureaucratic jiujitsu move.” It will give Musk and his associates access to unclassified data in every government agency.

“It’s quite a clever way of integrating DOGE into the federal government that I think will work, in the sense of giving it a platform for surveillance and recommendations,” says Richard Pierce, a law professor at George Washington University. A former USDS employee who spoke to WIRED who was granted anonymity to preserve their privacy called the repurposing of the Digital Service an “A+ bureaucratic jiujitsu move.” But, they say, they’re concerned that DOGE’s access to sensitive information could be used to do more than just streamline government operations. In the best-case scenario, this would allow DOGE to move quickly to address issues and fast-track necessary talent, as well as build systems that make government services more seamless by facilitating the flow of information and data.

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