Cartoon: Data Grab
Elmo wants your info
This cartoon was originally published on Pepperspectives. Click here to subscribe to Pepperspectives, where you’ll learn about the continuing threats to our democracy and the actions you can take to help safeguard it.
Trump gave President Elon and his ad hoc DOGE group access to the Treasury’s servers and federal payment data. Not only does that mean Elmo could halt payments to governmental departments he doesn’t like or or weaponize that data to go after his own competitors. He now has access to data from anyone that receives money from the government. Tax refunds. Social Security checks. Disability payments. YOUR data.
Last night a labor organization filed a suit to prevent Elon from getting the access. Just to give you a taste as to what’s at stake, here’s an excerpt from the lawsuit, courtesy of David Pepper’s Pepperspectives:
“[O]n Friday evening, January 31, defendant Bessent gave representatives of DOGE full access to the federal payment system. Senator Ron Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Finance, has reported that DOGE’s access to Treasury’s payment system is complete. He has stated that DOGE has “*full* access to this system. Social Security and Medicare benefits, grants, payments to government contractors.... All of it.”
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Very concerned, but not empowered b/c I live in a territory. People need to be demonstrating at the home district offices of members of the House and Senate. Thanks for a great cartoon of very ugly news.