The United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is seeking access to the personal tax information of millions of Americans. It has been reported that DOGE is pushing for access to a system related to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the U.S.
Despite DOGE's efforts to access this system, the White House has not explained how it plans to use it to detect and penalize fraud should it obtain authorization to do so. There is some concern in American society about the use of operations like this for possible political motives, particularly against critics of the Trump Administration.
The system that DOGE is seeking access to, known as the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), allows IRS employees to review taxpayers' tax information, update records, and send notifications. Among the personal data managed by this system are Social Security numbers, vital information in the U.S.
ABC News details that the measure has generated anxiety among agency employees and privacy experts, who warn about the risks of granting access to such private information to political agents. Musk has previously criticized federal judges for limiting his power and has called for their removal.
According to an IRS regulation, those who access the IDRS are not permitted to examine the personal tax information of family members, friends, neighbors, or famous individuals. A federal judge recently blocked DOGE's access to the payment system of the U.S. Department of the Treasury after a lawsuit by attorneys general from 19 states against the decision made by the department led by Musk.
