#NLRB stores reams of potentially sensitive data, from confidential info about employees who want to form unions to proprietary business info.

The #DOGE employees, who are led by #Trump adviser & billionaire tech CEO #ElonMusk, appeared to have their sights set on accessing the NLRB's internal systems. They've said their unit's overall mission is to review agency data for compliance with the new admin's policies & to cut costs & maximize efficiency.

#law #InfoSec #privacy #NationalSecurity

& data has nothing to do w/making the govt more efficient or cutting spending.

Meanwhile, acc/to the disclosure & records of internal comms, members of the #DOGE team asked that their activities not be logged on the system & then appeared to try to cover their tracks behind them, turning off monitoring tools & manually deleting records of their access—evasive behavior several #cybersecurity experts compared to what #criminal or #StateSponsored #hackers might do.

#law #Trump #Musk #InfoSec

The employees grew concerned that the #NLRB's confidential #data could be exposed, particularly after they started detecting suspicious log-in attempts from an IP address in #Russia [wtf?], acc/to the disclosure. Eventually, the disclosure continued, the IT department launched a formal review of what it deemed a serious, ongoing #security #breach or potentially #illegal removal of personally identifiable information.

#criminal #law #Trump #Musk #InfoSec #NationalSecurity

The #whistleblower believes that the suspicious activity warrants further investigation by agencies w/more resources, like #CISA or the #FBI.

#Labor #law experts…fear that if the data gets out, it could be abused, including by private companies w/cases before the agency that might get insights into damaging testimony, #union leadership, #legal strategies & internal data on competitors — #Musk's #SpaceX among them….

#criminal #law #Trump #InfoSec #NationalSecurity

It could also intimidate #whistleblowers who might speak up about unfair labor practices, & it could sow distrust in the #NLRB's independence, they said.

The new revelations about #DOGE's activities at the labor agency come from a #whistleblower in the IT department of the NLRB, who disclosed his concerns to #Congress & the US Office of Special Counsel [#OSC] in a detailed report that was then provided to #NPR.

#criminal #law #Trump #Musk #InfoSec #NationalSecurity

Meanwhile, his attempts to raise concerns internally within the #NLRB preceded someone "physically taping a threatening note" to his door that included sensitive personal information & overhead photos of him walking his dog that appeared to be taken with a drone, according to a cover letter attached to his disclosure filed by his attorney, Andrew Bakaj of the nonprofit #Whistleblower Aid.

#criminal #law #Trump #Musk #InfoSec #NationalSecurity