Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) recently made headlines after classified information was inadvertently published on its website. DOGE—an initiative launched by Donald Trump and led by Musk to cut government waste—started a website on Wednesday, promising citizens the ability to "track your tax dollars through the bureaucracy."
Although the site mentions that it does not share any classified data from U.S. intelligence agencies, it appears that this safeguard has been breached completely. An investigation by the Huffington Post revealed that the information about the National Reconnaissance Office is easily accessible on the site. This federal agency oversees the design, maintenance, and operation of America's intelligence satellites.
Everything Out in the Open
A spokesperson from the Defense Intelligence Agency told Huffington Post on Friday that the intelligence community is now in a state of upheaval.
"DOGE just posted secret NOFORN info on their website about [intelligence community] headcount, so currently people are scrambling to check if their info has been accessed," the anonymous worker said.
A spokesperson for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) responded briefly, stating, "We defer to the Department of Government Efficiency for comment on the release of information posted on DOGE.gov."
NOFORN, an abbreviation for "Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals," signifies that the information cannot be shared outside the federal government without proper authorization.
So far, the NRO is the only one among the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies whose data appears to have been published on the DOGE website. A Senate aide described this as "absolutely a problem under the current intelligence standards."
However, within the intelligence community, there is ongoing debate about whether NRO-related information should be made public.
Another Senate aide argued that keeping such details confidential prevents America's adversaries from gaining insight into the country's surveillance priorities.
Credibility of Musk and His 'Nerd Army' Questioned
Despite differing views, both aides agreed that the situation raises questions about Musk and his so-called "nerd army's" intentions. "These 25-year-old programmers, I don't think they have enough experience to know what they don't know," they said.
"Really, the question is: Where did they get this information and what are they doing with it?"
After months of campaigning alongside President Donald Trump during the election, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Since taking charge, Musk has formed a team primarily comprising young people—three of whom are reportedly still in college—to take on high-level engineering roles and implement cost-cutting measures.
DOGE has been rapidly expanding its influence, recently gaining authorization to access restricted sections of the General Services Administration's buildings and IT infrastructure.
These systems contain highly sensitive data, including Social Security numbers, addresses, and contact details.
With Trump's approval, Musk is spearheading an unprecedented civilian-led review of the federal government. "It became apparent that it's not an apple with a worm it in," Musk said in a live session on X Spaces early Monday.
"What we have is just a ball of worms. You've got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It's beyond repair."
Musk recently suggested that he played a key role in Trump's decision to remove federal employees by sharing a symbolic image on X, reminiscent of his notorious Twitter purge.
