A court filing has revealed that a staffer at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) breached Treasury policy by emailing a spreadsheet containing personal information to two Trump administration officials without encrypting the data. The incident has raised concerns over the security of sensitive information and the handling of personal data by government agencies.

The staffer, 25-year-old Marko Elez, was tasked with reviewing the Treasury's payments system but resigned in early February after racist social media posts linked to him surfaced. Despite this, DOGE rehired him to work at the Social Security Administration. Elez's actions have sparked controversy, particularly in light of the ongoing lawsuit against the US Treasury Department over DOGE's access to the department's systems.

According to the Treasury's filing, Elez's laptop and email account were analyzed, revealing that he had sent the spreadsheet containing personal information, including names, transaction types, and amounts of money, to two unnamed officials at the US General Services Administration. While the Treasury claims that the document is low-risk since it didn't contain sensitive identifiers like social security numbers or birth dates, Elez's failure to encrypt the document or obtain proper approval to send it constitutes a clear violation of policy.

The incident has sparked criticism from the 19 state attorneys general suing the Treasury Department, who argue that the results of the analysis "do nothing to allay any of the concerns expressed by the court in its opinion about the rushed and chaotic nature of the Treasury DOGE Team onboarding process." The lawsuit, filed in February, alleges that DOGE's access to the Treasury's systems poses a significant risk to the security of sensitive information.

The controversy surrounding Elez's actions highlights the importance of data security and the need for government agencies to prioritize the protection of personal information. As the use of technology becomes increasingly pervasive in government operations, the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information grows. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for robust security protocols and strict adherence to policy guidelines to prevent such breaches.

The fallout from this incident is likely to have significant implications for the ongoing lawsuit and the future of DOGE's access to government systems. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen what measures will be taken to address the security concerns raised by this breach and to prevent similar incidents in the future.