Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has created a buzz by asking for access to an internal computer system at the U.S. tax authority that holds sensitive financial information about millions of Americans, reports various US media.

Led by the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, DOGE is an integral component of the efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce public spending identified as wasteful or unaligned with his agenda. Its newest request, however, to grant DOGE officials wide-ranging access to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) databases has raised major alarms among privacy activists and government agencies. 

Why is DODGE seeking access to the US tax office

According to reports from The Washington Post and other outlets, DOGE has requested access to IRS property, datasets, and the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS). The IDRS is a highly restricted database that allows “instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts,” making it one of the most sensitive systems within the IRS.

Through Sunday evening, the request had not been granted, said the media reports. But even the potential to grant such access has set off alarms about possible risks to data security and privacy.

Government officials and privacy experts have been highly critical of DOGE's campaign for access to taxpayer information. Elizabeth Laird, formerly a state privacy officer but now working at the Center for Democracy and Technology, warned that access to taxpayer information would be highly problematic.

“People who share their most sensitive information with the federal government do so under the understanding that not only will it be used legally, but also handled securely and in ways that minimize risks like identity theft and personal invasion, which this reporting brings into serious question," Laird told ABC News.

The White House has stood by the initiative, stating that direct access to the IRS system is needed to eliminate inefficiencies.

“Waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said when questioned about DOGE’s request, according to NBC News.

“It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it. DOGE will continue to shine a light on the fraud they uncover, as the American people deserve to know what their government has been spending their hard-earned tax dollars on," Fields added.

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