No. of Recommendations: 6
Almost all databases are hashed up into pieces so they can be sliced and diced for data reporting and analysis purposes. It's 100% not likely that Treasury payment data is contained entirely in one string and can't be fractured out.
I have no doubt that the hashed-up version of the database also exists....but from media reports and the court filings, DOGE was seeking access to the entirety of the federal payments system. Which would include any unhashed data.
Plus - if you're receiving public funds there is no expectation to privacy that you're getting taxpayer money. You have the right to not have your bank account and taxpayer ID doxxed but it's not going to be a secret that you got paid.
But you do have an expectation that your data won't be shared outside the agency. Because Congress passed a law saying that you do. It's like your tax returns or your medical records if you go to a VA hospital - the government has those records, but there are laws governing who they can be shared with. DOGE has to follow those laws, which silo your personally identifying information within the agency that collects them.
