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One day before the confirmation hearing for secretary of education nominee Linda McMahon, parents, students and educators rallied online to ask her to protect the private data of millions of people and get #ElonoutofEd.
Billionaire Elon Musk, an unelected official operating without congressional approval, has hijacked the private data of millions of Americans—including Social Security numbers, bank records and medical data—through the Education Department, the Office of Personnel Management and the Treasury Department. Earlier this week, the AFT joined two other unions to sue all three departments for violating the Privacy Act.
“Inside the Education Department, the world’s richest man and his minions have been rifling through 45 million people’s private student loan accounts and feeding the data into artificial intelligence in one of the biggest data hacks in U.S. history,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The department is effectively one of America’s biggest banks, with 45 million borrowers holding $1.6 trillion in loans. It holds your Social Security numbers, your kid’s IEP [Individualized Education Program], the name of your spouse. If there was a cyberhack of this magnitude in a private bank, there would be widespread uproar.”
Musk and the staff of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which is also operating without congressional approval, now have the personal financial information of anyone who has ever applied for or received student aid. Kate Reilly, a nurse practitioner and single mother of three, noted how dangerous that is for parents who just want to send their kids to college.
“When we fill out the forms for [financial aid], we do so understanding that they need to know a lot about us. I’m talking about our Social Security information, the names of family members, even if they need to know the name of our first pet. The idea that Elon Musk and a group of his employees, the same age as my children, have unfettered access to all of our financial documents is a bit unsettling. As far as I can tell, [Musk] isn’t qualified to decide who does and doesn’t get financial aid or support from the Department of Education, and I want [secretary of education nominee] Linda McMahon to say as much.”
Reilly pointed out that she has a child with special needs, and with Musk’s track record of slashing aid with little regard for the people affected, she is concerned that her son won’t be able to get the resources he needs to successfully obtain a higher education.
High school senior Sara Porcari, who recently applied for student aid so she could go to college in the fall, said she filled out the forms thinking her data was secure.
“I gave my Social Security number and my parents’ income information, as well as their investment information,” she said. “I thought that information would be private and secure. Now I’m not sure what’s happening. I’m only 17 years old, and I don’t know who has access to my personal information or how this data breach will affect my future.”
Ernesh Stewart, a high school counselor and mother of a college student, had pointed questions for Musk.
“In my profession, we strive to get to the root cause of an issue, and so I want to know, what’s your purpose?” she asked. “If it’s merely to cut spending, why did you hire computer programmers instead of forensic accountants? Why are you targeting the Department of Education, which makes up less than 1 percent of the budget, instead of the Department of Defense, which accounts for 16 percent but where you also have billions of dollars in government contracts? Why do you need to access my daughter’s scholarship information? Why do you need my home address? It’s a gross violation of privacy, and I’m frightened to see what will come of this. Something tells me that it will hurt rather than help.”
Weingarten reiterated that if confirmed, McMahon will be in a position to protect millions of Americans.
“We are asking Linda McMahon, please, do not do this to individuals. Do not invade their privacy. If you are going to be a Cabinet secretary, please protect children, protect their parents, protect those who have tried to actually get ahead in life by going to college.”