Whistleblower details how DOGE may have taken sensitive NLRB data

DOGE’s Stated “Efficiency” vs Perceived Real Agenda

• Many commenters argue nothing about DOGE resembles genuine government efficiency work (which already exists via IGs, GAO, prior reform commissions).
• “Efficiency” is widely seen as branding to justify union-busting, purging enemies, privatizing functions, and consolidating power, not reducing waste or bureaucracy.
• Firing staff and disabling oversight are framed as political/ideological moves, not management improvements.

Logging Suppression, Data Exfiltration, and Security Risks

• The most alarming detail is DOGE staff insisting their actions not be logged, disabling monitoring, and manually deleting traces—behavior compared to criminal or state-backed intrusions.
• A spike of ~10GB of outbound data from a system holding sensitive NLRB case and union-organizer information is treated as de facto exfiltration, even if exact contents are not proven.
• DNS tunneling and covert methods are seen as unnecessary for any legitimate audit. Some push back on over-reading technical signals, but most view the pattern as damning.
• Reports of Russian login attempts using fresh DOGE accounts and correct credentials intensify concern; explanations range from compromised laptops/tooling to deliberate collaboration.

Whistleblower Retaliation and Intimidation

• The door note with personal info and drone photos of the whistleblower is described as blatant mob-style intimidation, meant to deter others.
• Commenters expect more such tactics in the current climate and see them as part of a broader effort to induce fear among civil servants and potential leakers.

Authoritarian Drift, NLRB Targeting, and Unified Data

• Multiple comments connect DOGE’s access to NLRB data with prior hostility to unions at Musk-linked companies and the administration’s anti-labor stance.
• Some argue DOGE is building a unified targeting database of individuals (union organizers, activists, “undesirables”) to enable surveillance, blackmail, or deportation to foreign prisons.
• Others warn against speculation but agree DOGE’s unchecked, opaque access to highly sensitive datasets is a structural authoritarian risk.

DOGE Staffing, Legality, and Clearances

• DOGE hires are portrayed as young, ideologically driven “hackers,” some with alleged past connections to cybercrime, and unlikely to pass normal background checks.
• Debate centers on whether presidential authority can simply “bless” their access versus the reality of statutory security, privacy, and records laws they appear to be violating.
• Many expect future criminal exposure (especially at the state level) once administrations change.

Meta: HN, Media Trust, and Polarization

• NPR is broadly treated as credible, though a minority questions its neutrality.
• Significant side discussion focuses on HN flagging of DOGE/Trump threads, accusations of censorship or brigading, and moderator explanations about limiting political overload while still surfacing major stories.