WASHINGTON DC: Elon Musk's new government team, DOGE (Department of Govt Efficiency), is trying to get access to a highly protected system that holds detailed financial information on millions of Americans. This has raised some serious concerns.

According to reports, DOGE wants to access the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS). This system has sensitive data about individuals, businesses, and nonprofits in the US. It allows IRS employees to view taxpayer accounts, including personal details like Social Security numbers and bank information. It also lets them change transaction records and create important tax documents.

DOGE, led by Musk, has asked the IRS to allow them broad access to this system. The White House is pushing for this move, hoping to reduce wasteful spending by the government. However, privacy experts are worried. They say giving DOGE access to this information could put people's personal data at serious risk.

Experts like Elizabeth Laird, a former state privacy officer, believe that this could lead to identity theft and breaches of privacy. She says that Americans share their private details with the government trusting it will be kept safe, and this request raises concerns about how secure that data would be.

As of February 16, the request has not been approved. The situation is still under review, but it has sparked fears about potential misuse of sensitive taxpayer data.

The IDRS is one of the IRS's most secure systems, and only a few people are allowed to use it. It holds important data like individual tax records, business information, and retirement account details. IRS workers are only supposed to access the accounts necessary for their jobs, and they cannot look at the accounts of family or friends.

Some government officials, like White House spokesperson Harrison Fields, argue that DOGE’s access could help uncover fraud and waste in government spending, which they say has been a longstanding issue. But many remain concerned about the risks involved with this request.

The US government on Sunday announced that it spent over USD750 million of taxpayer money on different projects in other countries. This included USD21 million for voter turnout in India and USD29 million to support politics in Bangladesh. However, officials announced that all these funds had been cancelled.