A government engineer at the GSA resigned in response to a request for administrative access to Notify.gov, a platform used for government outreach regarding benefits. Requested by Thomas Shedd, a political appointee connected to Elon Musk, there were serious concerns about the lack of justification for this access. The engineer warned that Shedd could then access and manipulate personal information of the public without notification, contradicting the agency's commitment to minimizing access for security purposes. Shedd's insistence on full access despite alternative suggestions raised alarms about privacy protection.
"Shedd would be able to view all personally identifiable information (PII) moving through the Notify system, including phone numbers and variable data for members of the public."
"Minimizing access is part of the system's security. Granting the same access would, of course, grant the same ability to view and download PII."
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