‘It’s dangerous and it’s going to erode trust’: redesign of US government websites stokes surveillance fears

The National Design Studio, staffed by Doge veterans, installed visitor-tracking software on vital federal websites

An opaque White House office staffed largely by veterans of Elon Musk's department of government efficiency" (Doge) has quietly rebuilt some of the federal government's most sensitive websites - for passport applications, voter registration, prescription-drug pricing and children's savings - in ways critics say appear to violate federal law.

The National Design Studio (NDS) was established by a Donald Trump executive order last August, and is led by Trump-aligned Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia and staffed by Doge veterans.