The US Department of Government Efficiency known as DOGE is reportedly working on a “master database” to tackle illegal immigration. Here’s what you need to know!
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00:00The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, de facto run by Elon Musk, is reportedly building
00:06a master database to surveil and track immigrants.
00:10The plan?
00:11To collect data from different U.S. agencies, the ones that usually don't share information,
00:17and combine it at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
00:20A U.S. Democrat Congressman is sounding the alarm.
00:24He has requested an investigation, warning that this could pose unprecedented security
00:30risks.
00:31What's going on exactly?
00:32And why should you care, even if you don't live in the U.S.?
00:35Well, this move isn't just about U.S. immigration.
00:39It's setting a precedent for how governments collect and centralize data on individuals.
00:45Doge is a new U.S. agency.
00:48It was set up by U.S. President Donald Trump on day one of his second term.
00:53The proclaimed goal?
00:54To crack down on fraud and what they see as wasteful government spending.
00:59Even though Musk's role isn't entirely clear, he seems to be running the show.
01:04For now.
01:05Doge has caused a lot of controversy.
01:07Why?
01:08Mostly because no one really knows what data their employees have access to or what exactly
01:13they're doing with it.
01:14So far, Doge has accessed data from several major U.S. authorities.
01:20The Internal Revenue Service.
01:21They handle everything tax-related.
01:24The Social Security Administration.
01:26The Department of Justice.
01:28And the Department of Labor.
01:30All of these have huge databases with highly sensitive personal information of citizens.
01:36Normally, all this data is stored separately on independent secure servers.
01:41That's on purpose, for safety reasons.
01:44In most cases, also outside the U.S., if law enforcement wants to look into, say, your Social
01:51Security info, they have to file a formal request and have a strong reason for it.
01:56So why does Doge want to combine all of this data into one giant system?
02:01That kind of central database could allow instant access with fewer checks and less oversight.
02:07That's a major shift.
02:09Donald Trump made a big promise during his campaign.
02:13He'd significantly cut the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
02:18He said it was about protecting national security and bringing more jobs to U.S. citizens.
02:23In 2022, an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants were living in the U.S.
02:29Many of them, regardless of their status, work in essential sectors like agriculture and
02:34construction.
02:35And here's something not everyone knows.
02:37Many of them pay taxes, even without having a valid social security number.
02:42This is where Doge sees an opportunity.
02:45By merging data from several U.S. agencies, they could easily identify people working without
02:51proper documentation.
02:53People who pay taxes and don't have a social security number would be an easy target.
02:59Doge could also check if someone has a pending or denied immigration request.
03:04By pulling data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services into its so-called
03:09data lake at the Department of Homeland Security.
03:13And it doesn't stop there.
03:14If you throw in biometric data or IP addresses, you could track down people anywhere in the
03:20U.S. via geolocating.
03:22The master database could become a powerful tool, not just to identify, but to find and
03:28deport undocumented individuals.
03:30Don't get me wrong.
03:32There are legitimate reasons to tackle truly illegal immigration.
03:36Nevertheless, the idea of a general database comes with a lot of risks for everyone.
03:42There is one simple reason why different authorities keep databases separate – security.
03:48If one system gets hacked, only that department is affected.
03:52If a master database is hacked, everyone is compromised.
03:56That would give cybercriminals access to data from across government agencies.
04:01And that could be used to harm people or the system itself.
04:04But there's more.
04:05An error in such a huge system could have severe consequences.
04:10Imagine being wrongly flagged.
04:12Innocent people could get deported.
04:14And even without a master database, this has recently happened to Quilma Abrego Garcia,
04:19who ended up in a Salvadoran prison without proof of his alleged crimes.
04:24To work at all, this database would need to include information on hundreds of millions
04:30of people living in the U.S.
04:32And once that data lake exists, it could be used to go after anyone really.
04:37Not just undocumented immigrants, members of a certain religion for example, or political
04:42opponents and anyone critical of the government.
04:45In the wrong hands, this system could become a tool for surveillance, intimidation or repression.
04:52Even if access was strictly limited, critics argue that once the data is collected, it will
04:57be used.
04:58To sum it up, a master database might be sold to the public as a way to protect national
05:03security, but it could pose a national security risk in itself.
05:08What are your thoughts on this?
05:10Let us know.