Summary

Elon Musk allegedly installed an unauthorized server at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), gaining access to sensitive federal employee data, including Social Security numbers, home addresses, and medical histories.

Young, inexperienced staffers are reportedly using this access to target positions for removal, particularly DEI offices.

Security concerns have been raised, with fears of hacking and HIPAA violations.

Senior officials have been locked out of key systems, limiting oversight of DOGE’s actions, which could significantly impact the federal workforce.

  • @samus12345@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    1661 month ago

    There really was no plan at all about preventing fascists from just marching in and doing whatever they want, huh? We were just supposed to count on people to do the right thing? Surprised this didn’t happen sooner, honestly.

    • masterofn001
      link
      fedilink
      861 month ago

      Checks and balances.

      Checks and balances.

      Checks and balances.

      Fascism and collapse.

      Oops.

      • @Serinus@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        231 month ago

        The Judicial system is being gish galloped. Let’s see if Congress gives a shit especially as Elon has usurped the Power of the Purse.

        • @Zink@programming.dev
          link
          fedilink
          41 month ago

          Congress: um you can’t do that

          Musk: my friend Donnie and I will tell the base to primary you and then drag the bodies of you and your entire family through the streets

          Congress: my bad!

        • @killingspark@feddit.org
          link
          fedilink
          English
          21 month ago

          I guess the idea was always that the public would need to stop the gish gallop until the judicial system has caught up to restore the balance. In the hopes that there would still be an executive power functional enough to enforce the ruling.

    • @MagicShel@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      491 month ago

      No one is supposed to follow illegal orders. But, who is to say what’s illegal and isn’t? And who are you going to call when they force you? The people executing Trumps orders? Is it worth not going home to your family over, or should you just let the courts decide? And who is to adjudicate your guilt? And can you even afford to fight it? Not if you’re a non-corrupt civil servant.

      No, there is no plan for the country choosing evil.

      • @dx1@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        14
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        It was built into the system, one way or another. The founders were morons. Even at its best, you have a few hundred people you have to corrupt to take over the entire country.

        • The Quuuuuill
          link
          fedilink
          English
          311 month ago

          The Iroquois Nation will retain its title for longest lasting known democracy on North American soil

          • @MagicShel@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            English
            6
            edit-2
            1 month ago

            Are they accepting refugees? Or did we wipe them out?

            This was supposed to be funny, but tbh I’m too ignorant to made a decent joke about it. Obviously they would just be under US jurisdiction if they still exist, and probably don’t have that kind of power, but fuck maybe it’s time for native Americans to kick the rest of us back to the sea because we obviously don’t deserve their land.

            • @AugustWest@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              51 month ago

              maybe it’s time for native Americans to kick the rest of us back to the sea because we obviously don’t deserve their land

              🌎👨‍🚀🔫👨‍🚀

        • @samus12345@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          31 month ago

          In their defense, there’s no way they could have imagined the modern world. The system worked okay for the world they lived in, but it became woefully inadequate over the next 200 years or so. They probably hoped that future generation were the ones that wouldn’t be morons.

          • @dx1@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            91 month ago

            It didn’t work okay for the world they lived in. Alien and Sedition acts were in, what, the second presidency?

      • @Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        111 month ago

        If they don’t follow their illegal orders they will still arrested them or fire them for insubordination. If something is done in the end those people will not get their jobs back or have their records cleared or be compensated in any way.

        Meanwhile the perps won’t get shit done to them.

    • @jonne@infosec.pub
      link
      fedilink
      191 month ago

      All the laws that were put in place after Nixon didn’t really lay out a punishment. They assumed impeachment would still be the remedy used. Not sure what changed between the 70s and now that made senators afraid to challenge their president.

    • @thewebguy@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      31 month ago

      Kind of scary, really. This whole time all our adversaries had to do was social engineer their way in through the front door with a handwritten note from dear leader.

    • @jaybone@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      221 month ago

      Do you have to be a citizen to commit treason? Did he actually obtain citizenship after committing his visa fraud? I’d like to see the long form certificate of his citizenship. Last time they complained someone was born in Africa it was a big deal…

      • @WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        261 month ago

        He is a US citizen. He can be charged, convicted, and hanged for treason. And there isn’t even any case law about whether a non-citizen can be charged with treason.

      • @JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        24
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        Treason holds a special place in my heart.

        There’s the slight problem of “it’s only treason if you fail”, though. It’s a corollary of “history is written by the winners”.

        • @Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          11 month ago

          Not really. Sometimes even the Victor’s of wars and battles executed the traitors to the other side that helped them. Very much a case of love the treason hate the traitor.

      • @WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        2
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        This is one of those things were pardons and laws don’t really matter. The way this thing is going, most of the citizens of DC will literally want to see Trump, Musk, and Vance’s heads on pikes. If things get bad enough, the military and those guarding the president may simply look the other way and let the mob storm the gates. Most of the instances you see of revolutionary crowds storming a dictator’s palace only occur because the military abandons them.

        Trump and Musk are at a very real risk of ending up like Mussolini, hanging from a lamppost. That’s how Fascist leaders like him often end up.

        • @Kitathalla@lemy.lol
          link
          fedilink
          English
          41 month ago

          most of the citizens of DC will literally want to see Trump, Musk, and Vance’s heads on pikes

          If things get bad enough, the military and those guarding the president may simply look the other way and let the mob storm the gates

          I wish I could live in your fantasy world, mate, but it’s never going to happen. The ideological divide has mutated beautifully into full-on trench warfare between camps of cheerleaders/fans. There are more than enough of the ‘other’ in positions that matter to make the machine’s gears keep turning.

          • @ynthrepic@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            21 month ago

            I’d prefer things end without violence… Which puts me in the most impossible timeline there is. It’s so frustrating realizing they’re all literally stupid or manipulated by stupid. Stupid being the promise of wealth, power, and fame ironically at all costs.

  • @Valorie12@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    99
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    After this, is there any question that he didn’t do something to hack vote counting machines? I’m feeling like this election wasn’t legitimate.

      • Fantastic long read. ty.

        But if you’re expecting a sexy story about Elon Musk messing with vote-counting software from outer space, sorry, you won’t get that here.

        As in Bush v. Gore in 2000, and in too many other miscarriages of Democracy, this election was determined by good old “vote suppression,” the polite term we use for shafting people of color out of their ballot. We used to call it Jim Crow.

    • @chuckleslord@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      91 month ago

      Yes, he didn’t. They want to make everyone question the legitimacy of the elections, so they’re pretending that they orchestrated something. In reality, there was nothing suspicious about the election. The only ratfucking was the normal, Gerrymandering kind. And a metric fuck ton of misinformation.

        • NSRXN
          link
          fedilink
          -71 month ago

          or.

          if you are sick of being disenfranchised by Democrats

          • @Test_Tickles@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            101 month ago

            This public masturbation thing you’re doing is really weird. “I voted for the fascists because the Democrats were heading towards fascism” is just weird. I mean at least the maga are honest about it, they wanted Nazis, they voted for Nazis, and they’re happy as peaches to get Nazis. But not you. No, the Democrats forced you to choose Nazis and so the Nazis are their fault?
            I don’t get what you are doing, but at this point it’s moved past trolling to just feeling weird and gross.

            • NSRXN
              link
              fedilink
              11 month ago

              I voted for the fascists because the Democrats were heading towards fascism

              no one said that. it’s a strawman

              • @Test_Tickles@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                31 month ago

                Oh, I’m sorry. I interrupted before you got that far into your wank? I can see why it would leave you feeling frustrated.

          • Not that I haven’t said much the same, but you’re about to find out what disenfranchisement really feels like while whining about what voting system you should have had.

          • Flying Squid
            link
            fedilink
            31 month ago

            Elon Musk is currently taking over the U.S. and you still want to argue about elections as if they will even ever happen again outside of what Putin does.

            You don’t have to be sick of being disenfranchised by Democrats anymore because they’re now the puppet opposition.

    • Pennomi
      link
      fedilink
      English
      401 month ago

      To be fair, data brokers already know that stuff. The difference is now Tesla doesn’t have to buy the data.

      • In a few years we’re probably going to find out that Musk uses the cameras on Teslas to 1)creep on women he likes 2) spy on politicians for compromising material Between Teslas and Starlink he literally knows where people are.

    • @Zink@programming.dev
      link
      fedilink
      181 month ago

      My first thought when seeing the headline was “quick, somebody tell the conservatives that he’s using Hillary’s server to do it, then maybe something will happen!”

      • @chaogomu@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        21 month ago

        Gaddafi was a fucking monster. No one misses him or his corpse freezer. So when the people started rising up, the UN said, sure, we can help out a bit. And so flew a handful of missiles. And zero troops.

        No, the problem is that after giving minimal help to oust Gaddafi, no one stepped in to restore order. So the civil war continued.

        As a note, the Arab Spring is part of why the Saudis helped Leon buy Twitter. To make sure it couldn’t be used for that sort of uprising again.

        • @geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          11 month ago

          Thanks for bringing back the slave market to Libya!

          You might want to recheck all the propaganda you consumed. Most of it has already been declassified as lies.

  • Leraje
    link
    fedilink
    English
    801 month ago

    It’s been wild reading news stories coming out the US over the last couple of weeks.

    Not the stories themselves of course, but the air of shock and alarm in both the stories and in the comment sections - and its not just Lemmy, its everywhere there’s a comment section - when you knew what he was going to do, he told you what he was going to do - why are you now in any way surprised or disturbed?

    The main question I have is that I’ve been hearing from Americans for decades now how gun ownership means you have a 2nd amendment based militia ready to go to protect the constitution and yet in the face of what is completely obviously the initial stages of a coup, I see no signs of that militia. Where are you?

    • @TangoNoir@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      231 month ago

      You put the equivalent of mobsters in the White House and suddenly these checks don’t matter. As a country we fucked around and found out.

      Seriously I tried warning people but they were certain that our existing laws would hold up. It’s heartbreaking.

    • @MrNobody@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      211 month ago

      I see no signs of that militia. Where are you? I don’t even see signs of mass protest. Just idle chat online. Theres alarm, but its all complacent, Land of the free, to sit around and watch their country burn. Yet they still make fun of the french for WWII.

      At least the french know how to fucking riot.

    • @CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      121 month ago

      A third of the population think this is a good guy with a gun authoritarian power so this is great. A third of the population are complaining about how the Democrats aren’t good enough to vote for in the midterms, and a third of the population are busy arguing with the other 2 thirds.

    • @truehoax@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      111 month ago

      Even the people who make shooting a tyrannical government their whole identity didn’t bring their guns on Jan 6. It’s always been hot air.

      • @chaogomu@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        51 month ago

        There were guns, they were just left in the stashes. The Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and 3%ers all had weapon caches ready to go, they just didn’t open them.

        Also a few pipe bombs. Those were deployed but not detonated.

    • @atempuser23@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      111 month ago

      It sounds like you are in a different country. Start getting involved in your politics to decouple from the USA and shield from its influence. It’s more urgent than it seems.

      The outrage you see here from the US lemmings is the minority opinion. There is no internal force or opposition to what you see.

    • @TangoNoir@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      101 month ago

      There are a lot of reasons for this. Many of us did see it coming. However, we have all still been culturally brainwashed to think that our government has too many checks for things to get this far out of hand.

      • @TangoNoir@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        81 month ago

        So it’s like your average American doesn’t believe this is even a possibility regardless as to what they have said.

    • when you knew what he was going to do, he told you what he was going to do - why are you now in any way surprised or disturbed?

      My guess is that people’s reaction is more like: “I thought politicians lie? Why would they do this?”

      I know Musk is not technically a politician, but the same confused reaction and bewilderment that you mentioned is applied to Trump’s current actions as well.

    • @Furbag@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      61 month ago

      The main question I have is that I’ve been hearing from Americans for decades now how gun ownership means you have a 2nd amendment based militia ready to go to protect the constitution and yet in the face of what is completely obviously the initial stages of a coup, I see no signs of that militia. Where are you?

      This was always posturing. It was a dumb fantasy invented by the right to mythologize the country’s origins, skew the intent of the framers, and most importantly, give them plausible deniability in the gun control debate.

      If gun owners truly believed in the myth of the “people’s militia” being a necessary apparatus to prevent government oppression or tyranny, they would have picked up their rifles and stopped the insurrectionists attacking the capitol building on January 6th, 2021. A literal violent coup and they sat back and did nothing. No - worse than nothing, they agreed with the people trying to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power!

      The idiot masses won’t stand up to tyranny with force or strength of arms, ever. The propaganda machine will convince Americans to shoot their neighbors long before they ever even think to shoot at their ruling class.

    • @brygphilomena@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      31 month ago

      Because no one wants to be the first to start a revolution. No one wants to be a martyr to get the cause going. No one is desperate enough yet to put their life and freedom on the line.

    • @ouRKaoS@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      31 month ago

      I see no signs of that militia. Where are you?

      Spread out over the entire country, and mixed together with another militia that’s opposed to them that’s also probably 2-1 larger. The left isn’t as armed

    • @fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      31 month ago

      I don’t think shock and alarm really captures my thoughts.

      I was deeply concerned by the prospect of a Trump presidency prior to November 5th. I’ve been despairing since then. Watching the current shit storm unfold I think I’m probably just discombobulated.

    • Noxy
      link
      fedilink
      English
      21 month ago

      I see no signs of that militia. Where are you?

      nice try, officer

    • @telllos@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      21 month ago

      Because gun are for poor people to kill themselves, and Kamala was in favour of Israel so we let Trump get elected

    • nifty
      link
      fedilink
      11 month ago

      People are setting up some processes to respond to all of this. Not everything is worth reacting to as it’s a distraction.

    • I’m neither shocked nor alarmed. I’ve known America was dead since November 5th. Now it’s just a question of when/if I’ll get out and the knowledge that at least I won’t ever have kids to feed the fascists.

  • AtHeartEngineer
    link
    fedilink
    English
    631 month ago

    OPM also houses all the clearance applications and associated investigation paperwork. Great…

    • Remember the OPM data breach in 2015? This is that, but for all OPM data, instead of some of it or most of it. For those unfamiliar with an SF86 (or eQIP); it’s your entire employment, educational, and residential history. All foreign nationals you maintain contact with, family history, financial history, travel history, anything that may be relevant in granting a security clearance.

      • Thassodar
        link
        fedilink
        English
        51 month ago

        I had to fill one out over a decade ago for a government job, and they even sent letters to the people I put as references to ask if there was any reason I shouldn’t work for the government. Once I got the job that place was super locked down; if you try to (or accidentally) use your badge on a door you’re not cleared for, expect a talking to.

      • @frezik@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        371 month ago

        Because networks tend to be built like an egg. Hard shell on the outside, soft on the inside. Once you have something inside, it tends to be easier to break the rest.

  • @Honytawk@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    521 month ago

    Elon Musk didn’t install anything. He just gave the order.

    I know for a fact he doesn’t understand anything about server technology.

      • Flying Squid
        link
        fedilink
        21 month ago

        I started on the Internet in the 90s. Once you get past Goatse, Tubgirl and 2 Girls, 1 Cup, your imagination for horrific things people say on the internet gets severely muted.

  • @Hadriscus@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    47
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    Ok so this is really a hostile takeover right out of a black mirror episode. It’s starting to dawn on me

      • @werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        161 month ago

        Not anymore! With constitution 2.0 only bad moms who forget to pick up their kids from the baseball game on time will ever be prosecuted for capital offences and sentenced to capital punishment… Not rich guys!

    • comfy
      link
      fedilink
      21 month ago

      Yes. So what?

      Law doesn’t matter. Breaking the law is common. And if anything, Trump’s first term is all the proof we didn’t even need that laws won’t stop this.

    • @Allonzee@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      10
      edit-2
      1 month ago

      I voted for her out of attempted harm reduction, and I agree, she probably is.

      Wealthy neoliberals care as much about their fellow citizens as wealthy fascists, as they both have the same God they worship 💰

      One appeals to pretending to care about people’s well-being while taking bribes to hurt them, the other appeals to pretending to care about idiot bigot’s blood lust while taking bribes to hurt them.

      • @lennybird@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        71 month ago

        Yeah you’re probably not far off. Similarly, I held my nose and voted for her as well. She was obviously the better choice, if only because her legacy was tied to a platform that at least on paper was significantly better than the alternative (e.g., climate change).

        Alas I raise Hillary because of the double-standards of her buttery males versus this which is infinitely worse — yet, naturally, not a peep from conservative circles.

        Because we know they’re hypocrites and ends justify means to them.

        • @JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          41 month ago

          Perhaps if we had a candidate we didn’t have to hold our nose over, this all could have been avoided.

          • @lennybird@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            5
            edit-2
            1 month ago

            Honestly, right-wing media domination is so strong that we could resurrect George Washington, merge his DNA with Reagan’s corpse, then conjoin that with Trump’s head and call him GigaTrump and Republicans wouldn’t vote for him because of the (D).

  • @Gerudo@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    301 month ago

    This is starting to exceed even my pessimistic doomsday expectations. And we aren’t even a month in yet.