AFT President criticizes Elon Musk's alleged access to personal data

Elon Musk Allegedly Gains Illegal Access to Americans' Data, AFT Raises Alarm

WASHINGTON—Concerns have arisen following revelations that Elon Musk might have obtained unauthorized access to sensitive personal data of millions of Americans, including tax and Social Security information. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President, Randi Weingarten, has voiced strong opposition to this alleged breach of privacy.

Weingarten questioned, “Why is President Trump allowing Elon Musk to muck around with people’s private financial data?” She highlighted the potential gravity of the situation by noting the unauthorized acquisition of personal information, including student debt and financial aid records.

The AFT, representing a substantial number of educators, healthcare workers, and public servants, has expressed significant unease about this matter. Many of these individuals are taxpayers and are either involved in or have children participating in federal student aid programs.

Weingarten further inquired, “What are the guardrails to stop this unlawful invasion of privacy?” She emphasized that no one authorized the U.S. government to use confidential information against its citizens and certainly did not permit Elon Musk to exploit such data, potentially for personal tax benefits.

Describing Musk as “an unelected and unaccountable oligarch,” Weingarten criticized the lack of transparency in what she referred to as a secretive operation by Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which she noted was not established by Congress. She asserted that voters did not elect Trump to allow their financial information to be shared with billionaires like Musk, whose actions may be in clear violation of federal law.

The AFT is calling on Congress and the President to take immediate measures to safeguard American citizens' privacy and to prevent Musk from further risking the financial security of millions.

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The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.