Redesign of US Government websites stokes surveillance fears

5 hours ago

An opaque White House office called the National Design Studio (NDS), established by Trump and led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, has rebuilt sensitive federal websites like those for passports, voter registration, and children's savings.
The NDS operates several federal websites that use commercial tracking tools like PostHog to monitor visitors, evading privacy protections and potentially violating federal privacy laws, as they lack required privacy impact assessments.
Funding and contracts for the NDS are not publicly disclosed in USAspending, raising transparency and oversight concerns, and its staff, including Doge veterans, operate outside normal federal accountability systems.
The studio has created White House-controlled versions of services legally assigned to other agencies, such as a passport application portal and a copy of vote.gov, centralizing sensitive data under presidential control.
These actions may undermine independent oversight, particularly for voter registration, which by law belongs to an independent commission, and could allow political access to sensitive data before elections.
After media inquiries, the NDS removed some tracking software, but concerns persist about data collection, retention, and compliance with laws like the E-Government Act and Privacy Act.
The NDS's expansion includes new web addresses, indicating continued growth despite criticisms over privacy violations and lack of transparency.

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