Illustration: Angelica Arzona/Guardian Design
The Veterans Affairs Bureau has informed employees via email that virtual meetings were recorded without their knowledge. Civil servants cautioned individuals who disagree with Donald Trump’s decisions to be careful about expressing their views.
Similarly, at the State Department, IT personnel have reported the installation of surveillance software on computers. To counter this, some employees have resorted to using white noise machines or creating background noise by running water in their office breakrooms to safeguard against potential eavesdropping.
Supervisors at a water management organization collaborating with the Environmental Protection Agency have alerted staff about the monitoring of meetings and calls through artificial intelligence tools.
This growing sense of fear among federal government employees stems from concerns that leaders or agents associated with Elon Musk’s “government efficiency” initiative may be surreptitiously monitoring conversations and tracking computer activities using artificial intelligence to enforce diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. The looming threat of losing their jobs has already resulted in thousands being laid off.
One U.S. Housing and Urban Development Agency employee likened the situation to being in a horror movie where the unknown lurks.
These revelations are based on interactions with more than 20 federal employees who disclosed details to us gathered from emails, as well as insights from agency officials and ScreenGrabs.
Employees have described a culture of fear prevailing among those who remain in federal employment.
While the U.S. government has historically been transparent about using monitoring software on federal employees, current warnings underscore the need for extreme caution regarding how gathered information will be utilized by the administration, which technologies will be employed, who will access the data, and whether this could lead to further job cuts.
Although representatives of the Trump administration have refuted several claims and concerns raised by sources, they have not addressed all the issues. The EPA denied recording meetings but did not specifically mention the use of artificial intelligence. Other agencies like the Veterans Education Department remained silent on the matter.
The Clean Water Administrators Association (ACWA), which collaborates with the EPA on water quality and management, has issued warnings to staff about potential monitoring of meetings with EPA officials using AI tools.
Employees were shocked to learn that calls, virtual meetings, and calendar entries with EPA personnel were being transcribed and monitored by AI. The email detailed the use of AI tools for analysis, including the presence of an AI Notetaker in a meeting without participants’ knowledge.
Despite EPA denials of monitoring and recording activities, employees remain concerned about the use of AI tools for surveillance.
Reports suggest that Doge, a project linked to Elon Musk, is deploying AI to monitor federal workers and flag any negative comments about Trump or Musk, as cited in a Reuters report.
Employees were instructed to be cautious about their communications as AI was rumored to be scanning agency communications for dissent and potentially undermining statements.
Additional instances of secret recording of virtual meetings have been reported at the Department of Veterans Affairs, raising concerns among employees.
Employees at the U.S. Organization for International Development (USAID) revealed that their private communications were being monitored, prompting them to avoid official channels entirely.
A former USAID employee spoke about the intrusion into private chats and the lack of trust in official communication channels.
Concerns about surveillance and censorship have escalated, leading some employees to resort to encrypted messaging platforms like Signal or WhatsApp to ensure privacy.
The tenure of Jason Gray, Acting Administrator of USAID, was marked by increased monitoring activities, culminating in his abrupt appearance in group chats with contractors.
Employees are advised to be cautious about their communications at various government agencies, fearing repercussions for expressing dissenting views.
The story sheds light on the pervasive atmosphere of surveillance and distrust within federal agencies, highlighting the potential repercussions of speaking out in a highly monitored environment.
This article has been published in collaboration with Crooked Media
Source: www.theguardian.com