×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Monday
17
Aug 2026
weather symbol
Athens 26°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Musk’s associates locked public officials out of the federal employee database

Musk took on the task of reducing the federal workforce by 2.2 million employees

Newsroom February 1 01:39

Δείτε περισσότερα άρθρα μας στα αποτελέσματα αναζήτησης

Add Protothema.gr on Google

Elon Musk’s aides, who have taken over the management of the U.S. government’s human resources agency, locked senior public officials out of the computers containing personal data on millions of federal employees, according to two agency executives.

Eleven days after taking the oath of office, Donald Trump launched a sweeping government overhaul, firing and sidelining hundreds of public officials in an effort to cut bureaucracy and replace them with his own loyalists.

Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and X, took on the task of downsizing the federal workforce—2.2 million employees. He moved quickly, installing his associates at the agency known as the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

The two officials, who spoke anonymously to Reuters for fear of retaliation, said that some senior career employees at OPM had their access revoked to certain data systems within the agency. These systems include a massive database (Enterprise Human Resources Integration) that contains birth dates, Social Security numbers, performance evaluations, home addresses, salary grades, and employment history of government employees.

“We have no idea what they’re doing with the computers and data systems. It’s deeply concerning. There’s no oversight. There is a real cybersecurity and espionage risk,” one official said.

The officials who were “locked out” can still log in and access certain services, such as email, but they can no longer view the vast troves of data that cover every aspect of federal employees’ work.

Musk, the OPM, representatives of his new team, and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

The OPM has sent out memos to employees, departing from the usual dry tone of government announcements, urging public servants to resign and “go on vacation to the destination of their dreams.”

Don Moynihan, a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, said the developments at OPM raise concerns about whether Congress still has oversight of the agency. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult for anyone outside Musk’s inner circle to know what’s going on,” he said.

A group composed of current and former Musk employees took control of OPM on January 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration. They installed sleeper sofas on the fifth floor of the building, where the director’s office is located, according to an agency employee.

The sleeper sofas were placed there so the team could work around the clock.

>Related articles

Suspected gangster behind Kushner’s Albania land deal is facing drug charges

Kushner presses Netanyahu on rejected Gaza plan

Iranian general threatens Washington over Strait of Hormuz claim, offers 30k reward per US soldier

Musk had previously placed beds in the offices of the X platform after acquiring it in 2022, so employees could work longer hours.

“It feels like a hostile takeover,” one employee remarked.

The newly appointed OPM officials also removed the agency’s chief executive, Kiran Ahuja, from her office and relocated her to another floor.

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#database#Donald Trump#Elon Musk#hr#human resources#Tesla#Trump#X
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Japanese rating agency R&I upgrades outlook for Greek economy from stable to positive

August 17, 2026

Feature in the French magazine Le Point on Kyriakos Pierrakakis: “The Greek who wants to wake Europe up”

August 17, 2026

State Department on GSI: US supports energy security and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean

August 17, 2026

How Kim Jong Un circumvented sanctions and funneled up to $22 billion into Pyongyang’s coffers

August 17, 2026

Private helicopter crashes on Sifnos – Three passengers dead

August 17, 2026

Trump: “The primary objective was, is, and always will be to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon”

August 17, 2026

An Illegal immigrant attacked & raped for 20 minutes elderly man outside a church in London, claimed “I wanted to help him”

August 17, 2026

Erdogan: EU membership is no longer a priority for Turkey – What he said about F-35s & the Strait of Hormuz

August 17, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα