Elon Musk's Secretive DOGE Team Using AI And Disappearing Messages To Monitor Federal Workers For Anti-Trump Sentiment, Bypassing Records Laws And Locking Out Agencies: Report

A special government unit reportedly linked to Elon Musk and functioning under the Trump administration has been using artificial intelligence tools to scan federal employee communications.

What Happened: According to a new exclusive report from Reuters, DOGE has installed AI systems — including Musk's own Grok chatbot — across at least one federal agency to spot internal messages seen as unfavorable toward Trump or his policies.

The team is part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), triggering warnings from legal experts and watchdogs over its secretive practices and possible abuse of surveillance tools.

At the Environmental Protection Agency, managers were reportedly informed by political appointees that monitoring was ongoing, including checks on communication platforms like Microsoft Teams.

In tandem, DOGE workers have been using the Signal messaging app, which enables conversations to vanish automatically, the report added. This has raised red flags over potential violations of federal archiving rules. Internally, the team is said to be sidestepping conventional document protocols by working together through shared Google Docs in real-time.

The White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.

See Also: Elon Musk’s Net Worth Dives Below $300 Billion For The First Time Since November Amid Tesla Attacks And Tariff Wo

Why It Matters: Legal experts warn that DOGE's activities could be choking lawful speech and evading public oversight. One federal judge recently ordered the team to release records after worries over their management of sensitive information and sidestepping of public records laws. DOGE's control over digital infrastructure has increased, especially within main agencies like the Office of Personnel Management, where access to crucial databases has been radically restricted.

As Musk's DOGE initiative solidifies its control across federal systems, concerns over its opaque operations and possible political targeting continue to increase. With partial public disclosure and continuing legal challenges, the program's unprecedented implementation of AI in government oversight is being scrutinized for its ethical and constitutional ramifications.

Read Next: Mark Cuban Warns Of A Crisis ‘Far Worse’ Than 2008 If Trump’s Tariff Turmoil And Elon Musk’s DOGE Moves Continue

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