Federal workers are trying to force the disconnection of the daemon server
The OPM Policy: Demystifying the GSA, DOEGE, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Quantico Academies
Multiple agency sources told WIRED last week that several of Musk’s lieutenants had been granted access to key computer systems controlled by the GSA, an independent agency tasked by Congress with overseeing federal buildings and providing equipment, supplies, and IT support across the government.
Many federal workers were confused when the OPM sent an email on January 28 with a deferral of resignation. (DOGE’s own new HR chief was unable to answer basic questions about the offer in a contentious staff meeting last week, WIRED reported.) OPM sent an email to staff on Sunday clarifying whether the deferral of resignation program was in compliance with existing privacy laws. “Yes,” read the answer. “The deferred resignation program uses only basic contact information about federal employees, like name and government address, along with short, voluntary email responses. The information is stored on government systems. The information relevant to the program will be covered by the OPM System Records Notices if the Privacy Act applies.
The WIRED reported last week that Musk had taken over the US government’s human resources department. In this and other efforts, it is employing inexperienced young engineers whose ages range from 19 to 24—many of whom, public records show, are former interns or have been affiliated with Musk-aligned companies.
The Trump administration began a radical campaign last week aimed at inducing members of the federal workforce to leave their jobs ahead of threatened reductions. The goal of the effort is led by Musk, leader of a task force that has control of several federal agencies and sensitive government systems with apparent clearance from the White House.
In a striking example of the policy in action, an image surfaced last week of a wall being painted over at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Quantico, Virginia, academy due to it listing “diversity” among the bureau’s core values. The FBI does not count diversity as one of its core values, according to an email obtained by Mother Jones.
Following a White House edict effectively banning federal employees from disclosing their personal pronouns in email signatures, sources within multiple federal agencies say pronouns are now being systemically blocked across multiple email clients and other software.
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Reached for comment, the White House transferred WIRED to OPM communications director McLaurine Pinover, who pointed to January 29 memorandum ordering agencies to disable all features “that prompt users for their pronouns.”
WIRED confirmed various automated efforts with employees at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the US Department of Agriculture.
Why the OPM Server Is Closed? The Post-Mumma motion challenges the Trump administration’s goal to reduce the size of the federal workforce
OPM would have to shut down the server until the assessment was done, if the motion is granted. The plans of the Trump administration to drastically reduce the size of the federal workforce are likely to face delays. The account linked to the server is being used to gather information from federal workers who accept a voluntary retirement program on or before February 6.
“Under the law, a temporary restraining order is an extraordinary remedy,” notes National Security Counselors’ executive director, Kel McClanahan. This is an extraordinary situation.
Before issuing a restraining order the courts look at burdens and costs on both sides. The injunction would not have a noticeable effect on the government, according to McClanahan. The administration could continue to implement the resignation program through existing channels, even though February 6 is an arbitrary deadline.
Tuesday’s motion claims that the OPM allowed unknown individuals to simply bypass its systems and security protocols for the purpose of communicating directly with those individuals without involving other agencies. The sole purpose of these new systems was to be done as fast as possible.
A copy of the motion, filed in the DC District Court by National Security Counselors, a Washington-area public-interest law firm, was obtained by WIRED exclusively in advance. There are people with ties to Neuralink who have been installed in OPM’s top offices by Musk.
Jane Does 1 and 2, who work for the Department of Homeland Security, were the subject of a motion filed this morning by an attorney that argued that the server is in violation of federal law and could expose vast quantities of government information to hostile foreign adversaries.
Federal employees are trying to prevent a group of people from operating an illegally connected server at the OPM headquarters in Washington, DC.
