Lawsuit alleges new Trump administration email system for federal employees raises privacy concerns

A lawsuit brought by two federal employees alleges that the Trump administration has set up an email distribution system for the entire federal workforce that raises security concerns for workers’ private data.

A lawsuit brought by two federal employees alleges that the Trump administration has set up an email distribution system for the entire federal workforce that raises security concerns for workers’ private data. The lawsuit accuses the US Office of Personnel Management – which handles many personnel operations for the federal government – of failing to do an assessment required by federal law to understand and mitigate any privacy risks in how the alleged new email system is collecting data of federal employees. The new legal challenge comes as the Trump administration has launched a multi-front effort to overhaul how the federal workforce operates, including initiatives to weaken federal workforce protections and to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, among other actions. According to the new lawsuit, federal employees in recent days received emails from the email address HR@opm.gov that purported to be running tests for a new “distribution and response list.” “The goal of these tests is to confirm that an email can be sent and replied to by all government employees,” one of the emails said, according to the lawsuit, while asking the employees to respond to the emails to confirm receipt. CNN has reached out to OPM for comment on the lawsuit.