DOGE Using Signal to Track Federal Workers Weeks After US War Chat Leak

Key Takeaways

• DOGE staff are reportedly using Signal to communicate.
• The revelation follows the news that national security leaders used Signal to discuss war plans.
• DOGE has increasingly come under fire for a lack of public accountability.

With the U.S. administration still dealing with the fallout from Signalgate, government employees’ use of the encrypted chat app has come under scrutiny.

In the latest revelation, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is reportedly using Signal to communicate, raising further questions about accountability at Elon Musk’s cost-cutting unit.

Why Government Signal Use Is Controversial

The inclusion of the editor-in-chief of a major magazine in a group chat discussing imminent military operations was the most shocking aspect of a recent national security controversy.

But the use of a private messaging platform not cleared for sensitive communications has also been widely criticized.

Some critics took issue with the fact that Signal is a consumer mobile app and, therefore, presumably less secure than dedicated secret communication channels.

Aside from security, there are also implications for public accountability.

Federal recordkeeping laws are designed to ensure government officials meet high standards of accountability. Yet, Signal’s disappearing messages feature poses the possibility of national leaders making key decisions in the dark.

To that end, American Oversight has filed a lawsuit against participants in the infamous group chat for alleged violations of the Federal Records Act.

DOGE Staffers Using Signal

Citing people with knowledge of the matter, Reuters reported on Tuesday, April 8, that DOGE is using AI to surveil federal agencies for evidence of hostility to Donald Trump’s agenda.

Moreover, they claimed DOGE staffers are using Signal to communicate.

Courts Consider DOGE’s Recordkeeping Responsibilities

While it isn’t clear whether any messages have been deleted, DOGE has already been blasted for a lack of transparency by American Oversight, which took the organization to court in a bid to prevent it from deleting records.

The judge, in that case, ordered DOGE to preserve “all records that may be responsive” to the plaintiff’s freedom of information requests.

The Trump administration has argued that because DOGE isn’t a government agency, it isn’t bound by the Freedom of Information Act.

However, recent rulings in the lawsuit brought by American Oversight and another filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics contest that notion.