NPR's A Martinez talks with Nina Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, about the risks of granting Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive IRS data.
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is seeking access to the IRS's Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), a database containing sensitive taxpayer information such as financial records, returns, and accounts. Critics argue that granting access to a political appointee like Musk raises concerns about privacy and potential misuse. Nina Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, explains that IDRS access is strictly controlled, and unauthorized use is a crime. She also notes that modernizing IRS technology could be done without accessing real taxpayer data, using anonymized or dummy data instead.
