Meador Cites FTC Privacy Protections Against DOGE Efforts
The FTC is bound by federal law to protect business and consumer data in investigations, FTC nominee Mark Meador said Tuesday.
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During his Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing, Meador responded to a question from Sen. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, D-Del., about data privacy concerns related to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. There’s been “overwhelming outreach” from constituents concerned about DOGE’s data-gathering at various agencies, said Blunt-Rochester. For full coverage of the hearing, (see 2502250054).
Meador said there are confidentiality protections to prevent business and consumer data from being shared with third parties. He said he would work to ensure the FTC follows the law and that such data isn’t leaked.
Meanwhile, more than 20 federal employees reportedly resigned from DOGE, formerly the U.S. Digital Service, on Tuesday. The employees cited constitutional concerns about DOGE’s data access in a joint letter, according to the Associated Press.
The White House, in a statement about the resignations Tuesday, said, “Any leftover career bureaucrats who don’t align with the President or DOGE are neither advised nor welcomed to be a part of this never-before-seen mission to make the government more efficient.” The administration accused Democrats and mainstream media of once again going “off the deep end with their breathlessly inaccurate reporting on President Trump’s widely popular mission to rid the federal government of waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Musk in a post Tuesday said the employees were "Dem political holdovers" who refused to "return to the office" and would have been fired if they didn't resign.