DOGE’s IRS “Mega API’ hackathon raises alarms over data privacy, feasibility

DOGE is reportedly organizing a hackathon to build a “mega API” for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), aiming to centralize and cloud-host taxpayer data, Wired reports.

The initiative, led by DOGE operatives Gavin Kliger and health-tech CEO Sam Corcos, seeks to gather dozens of IRS engineers in DC to complete the API within thirty days—a timeline some agency staffers call “not technically possible” and potentially “crippling” to IRS operations.

The proposed API would enable third-party access to vast stores of sensitive taxpayer data—including names, Social Security numbers, and income records—potentially hosted by private firms such as Palantir, a data analytics company frequently mentioned in DOGE’s internal discussions. Critics, including current IRS employees, warn the project lacks proper oversight and could pose serious security risks. “It’s basically an open door controlled by Musk for all Americans’ most sensitive information,” one anonymous employee told Wired.

Concerns extend to DOGE’s broader access strategy. The Washington Post previously reported on Corcos pushing the IRS to drop access restrictions and proposing data-sharing across agencies—requests that were ultimately rebuffed, according to a 14 March 2025 letter from Sen. Ron Wyden and colleagues.

DOGE’s presence has sparked pushback at multiple agencies. On Friday, it gained access to US Citizenship and Immigration Services data, fueling speculation that the IRS API may be part of a wider campaign to merge government databases under the banner of “efficiency.”