Imagine one government brain tracking your Social Security, tax returns, disability status — even your medical diagnoses.

Well, that's exactly what DOGE — the Department of Government Efficiency — under Elon Musk's leadership is racing to build, and it's being sold as modernization.

But critics call it a digital dragnet. DOGE is pulling private data across federal agencies, often bypassing traditional security protocols, and civil rights experts warn it's a hacker's dream and a democracy's nightmare.

Inside government, workers say they are being pushed to merge systems once kept separate for a reason.

Experts say consolidating this much data breaks basic cybersecurity principles, making the government a bigger target — especially as Chinese hacking escalates.

But still, the White House insists it is legal, safe and necessary to root out fraud and deport undocumented immigrants. But at what cost?

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