DOGE’s tech takeover threatens the safety and stability of our critical data
1 min read
Summary
A recent Trump executive order has led to employees at the US Agency for International Development being laid off, and replaced by Elon Musk’s chatbot, Doge, to automate agency tasks.
The order also plans to “modernise Federal technology and software” and though the intentions may be good, the tech world has warned that simply implementing trendy tech into government workflows is not the way to achieve this efficiency.
Successful, safe civic tech requires a human-centric approach and the respect and understanding of a citizens needs to be met, which requires experienced design and technology professionals, which the Trump administration has laid off.
This has also impacted a previous Obama initiative, US Digital Service (USDS) and 18F, with technologists being approached by the USDS being told their services were longer required.
These employees that have been made redundant, have the knowledge and legal standing to challenge the reckless tech initiatives from the Trump administration.