Her department of Government Efficiency, led by Doge, now is making a huge splash with plans for a national database of government citizens’ citizenship. This controversial step has raised grave privacy alarms. The plan would serve to centralize terabytes of personal information on Americans, including our tax records, into one central database. Critics contend that the project is doing insufficiently on the transparency front. They’re worried about the lack of public consultation about how we use this sensitive data.
The citizenship database is an improved infrastructure for both quality and security over the current patchwork of data sources. When Doge started, his mission was to help coordinate information and data from across various federal agencies. This will allow localities to more easily authenticate an individual’s citizenship status. Supporters claim this push is needed to fight fraud, including with voter registration and welfare claims.
Behind the scenes, the initiative has come under attack from all directions. Democratic lawmakers have fought back almost unanimously and fiercely against the new database. They argue that its development would breach federal law designed to protect Americans’ privacy. They stated, “This intrusion into the personal affairs of millions of Americans – absent an adequate explanation for the need to do so – is not in the public interest.”
Doge argues that the database is necessary to flush out fraud and improve efficiency in government. The project is being developed in collaboration with software firm Palantir, which has been accused of facilitating mass surveillance despite denying any involvement in building a master database. “Palantir is neither conducting nor enabling mass surveillance of American citizens. We do not operate the systems, access the data, or make decisions about its use,” the company stated.
The key part of the database is its ability to aggregate personally identifiable information (PII) from millions of Americans, including tax and benefits information. In the US, a district judge has recently issued a temporary block on the Social Security Administration’s information sharing with Doge. This decision highlights major questions about how sensitive data is used and protected. Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander noted that “Defendants admit that the Social Security Administration granted Doge personnel broad access to millions of Americans’ sensitive PII.”
Doge’s very actions raise some important questions about what this database means. These changes come on the heels of other unfounded noncitizen voter fraud accusations—accusations known to be used disproportionately to delegitimize whole communities of color. Citlaly Mora, a community advocate, criticized the initiative, stating, “The premise of noncitizen voter fraud is one that officials, including President Trump, have used as a pretext to discredit and intimidate entire communities.”
Even with these increasingly critical voices and legal challenges, Doge continues to push the envelope on this effort. The Department of Homeland Security has defended the project, emphasizing that integration with the Social Security Administration significantly improves services offered by immigration programs.