Literature Guide to Trump-Era Policies and DOGE's Impact on Personal and Public Data
The Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub curates the latest literature on the challenges posed to personal and public data by the Trump Administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Hub tracks the evolving government policies on data access and regulation that directly influence innovation and market competition in the AI space. By consolidating the latest news, research, and policy analyses, we provide our audience with a timely resource to understand how these shifts are reshaping the digital ecosystem.
Led by Dr. Susan Aaronson and Michael Moreno
What is DOGE doing with your data?
By Here and Now Newsroom, published in WBUR (May 28, 2025)
Elon Musk is leaving the federal government. What’s next for DOGE?
By Stephen Fowler, published in NPR (May 30, 2025)
DOGE aims to pool federal data, putting personal information at risk
By Hannah Natanson, Joseph Menn, Lisa Rein and Rachel Siegel, published in the Washington Post (May 7, 2025)
DOGE employees may access sensitive Treasury data, judge rules
By Kelly Kasulis Cho, published in the Washington Post (May 28, 2025)
Is DOGE risking the government’s cybersecurity? Some have lost their jobs to block them.
By Dinah Voyles Pulver, published in USA Today (April 28, 2025)
DOGE’s Data Digging at the Social Security Administration Puts Millions of Americans at Risk
By Molly Weston Williamson, published in Center for American Progress (April 28, 2025)
What has DOGE done in Trump’s first 100 days?
By Stephen Fowler and Shannon Bond, published in NPR (April 28, 2025)
DOGE’s Control of SSA Data Could Harm Millions of Americans: Report
By Suzanne Blake, published in Newsweek (April 28, 2025)
‘This Is What We Were Always Scared of’: DOGE Is Building a Surveillance State
By Julia Angwin, published in NYT (April 30, 2025)
DOGE Is Building a Master Database to Surveil and Track Immigrants
By Makena Kelly and Vittoria Elliott, published in Wired (April 18, 2025)
DOGE Has Access to Sensitive Labor Department Data on Immigrants and Farm Workers
By Vittoria Elliott and Leah Feiger, published in Wired (April 18, 2025)
Lawmakers want to know why DOGE is building a database of sensitive Social Security info
By Scripps News (April 26, 2025)
Judge Says One DOGE Member Can Access Sensitive Treasury Dept. Data
By Hurubie Meko, published in NYT (April 11, 2025)
A whistleblower’s disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data
By Jenna McLaughlin, published in NPR (April 15, 2025)
How DOGE may have improperly used Social Security data to push voter fraud narratives
By Stephen Fowler and Jude Joffe-Block, published in NPR (April 11, 2025)
Understanding DOGE and Your Data
By Harvard Ash Center (March 31, 2025)
DOGE gained access to sensitive data of migrant children, including reports of abuse
By Nick Robbins-Early, published in The Guardian (April 3, 2025)
OPM nominee tells DOGE-concerned Democrats he’ll protect workers’ data
By Matt Bracken, published in the FedScoop (April 3, 2025)
Top oversight Dem files resolution to demand answers from DOGE on AI use
By Edward Graham, published in Government Executive (April 3, 2025)
Federal Workers Can Dispute DOGE’s Data Access, Judge Rules (2)
By Courtney Rozen, published in Bloomberg Law (April 3, 2025)
LATEST EVENTS
What do we do
The Digital Trade & Data Governance Hub provide resources, training, events, and evidence-based research to help stakeholders understand data governance and digital trade.
Evidence based Research
Training
seminars
Recent Publications
How should we think about data?
We have little information about what data firms collect, how these firms use or sell our data, or how they mix various data types. If we want these markets to operate more equitably and efficiently, policymakers must focus on the governance of data.
Personal Data
e.g. birthdates
Proprietary or Confidential Business Data
e.g. payrolls
Public Data
Data in the public domain, census data, scientific data, etc
Metadata
Supposedly anonymized personal data
Machine to Machine Communication
Satellite Data
Wondering who we are?
We are a team with a diverse background in international trade, international affairs, economics, public policy, and communication.
