Trump-backed AI surveillance? Musk-led DOGE team monitors federal agencies, report

A covert team of technologists led by Elon Musk, operating under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is allegedly deploying artificial intelligence to monitor internal communications across at least one federal agency for perceived disloyalty to US President Donald Trump, according to individuals familiar with the matter reported Reuters.

The report said that the sources with direct knowledge revealed that staff at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been warned that AI systems may be scrutinising emails and virtual chats for language deemed hostile to Trump or Musk. DOGE’s actions, according to insiders, form part of a broader mission to slash bureaucracy, root out dissent, and rewire the government’s internal operations.

DOGE’s work has so far remained largely opaque. While its stated goal is to eliminate waste and inefficiency, its methods – including use of encrypted messaging and Musk’s AI chatbot Grok – are raising alarms among cybersecurity experts and government ethics watchdogs, highlights the report.

Critics reportedly argue the operation lacks oversight and could be abused for political ends.

The report also noted that DOGE team members communicate using Signal, an encrypted messaging app that allows messages to disappear. This practice, experts say, could violate federal record-keeping laws. “If they’re using Signal and not backing up every message to federal files, then they are acting unlawfully,” said Kathleen Clark, a government ethics specialist from Washington University in St. Louis.

DOGE staff have also been accused of bypassing formal document handling procedures by collaboratively editing government drafts in real time using Google Docs, added the report. This unorthodox approach, insiders say, has allowed the team to make rapid operational changes without leaving a paper trail.

At the EPA, employees were reportedly told to “be careful what you say, what you type and what you do,” as AI surveillance tools were being introduced. The agency, which has faced severe budget cuts and staffing reductions under Trump’s administration, acknowledged it is “looking at AI to better optimise agency functions,” but denied its use in personnel decisions.

Meanwhile, federal court records show that DOGE has restricted access to key government systems and data, even locking civil servants out of platforms containing sensitive personnel information. At the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which plays a central role in federal hiring and workforce strategy, over 100 tech staff lost cloud access earlier this year. Only two individuals – one career staffer and a Trump-appointed CIO – reportedly now hold administrative control.

DOGE’s operations have prompted legal challenges. In March, a judge ordered the group to release internal records following a lawsuit from ethics group CREW, which cited DOGE’s unusual secrecy and refusal to comply with transparency laws. As of this week, no documents have been handed over.

(With inputs from Reuters)