Jonathan Kamens
Jonathan Kamens | |
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| Occupation | cybersecurity expert |
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| Known for | warning of the dangers posed by the poor security around the Department of Government Efficiency |
| Notable credit | |
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| Opponent | |
| Criminal charge | |
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| ParentExpression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[". | |
Jonathan Kamens is an American expert in cyber-security.[1] On February 14, 2025, he was fired by the Presidency of Donald Trump
According to Time magazine Kamens was hired by the United States Digital Services in 2024, and had been seconded to the Department of Veterans Affairs.[2] Time quoted Kamens's concerns over the poor security around the Department of Government Efficiency, pointing out that he had to undergo background testing and drug testing, prior to getting clearance to access the Government's sensitive databases -- but background checks had not been performed on the recent new additions to DOGE.
Kamens explained to Time reporters the security importance of decentralizing the information in the Government's databases, so each agency was only accessing the sensitive data needed to perform its function, while the recent DOGE initiative was to centralize all the information.[2]
In an interview with The Associated Press Kamens said he had endorsed Kamala Harris for President, and pondered whether supporting Trump's opponent had played a role in his firing.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Musk's DOGE team hit by resignation of 21 technology staffers". CBC News. 2025-02-25. Archived from the original on 2025-03-01. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Brian Witte; Rodrigue Ngowi (2025-02-26). "Veterans' Data Is at Risk, Says Fired VA Cybersecurity Chief". Time magazine. Boston. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
The warning comes from Jonathan Kamens, who led cybersecurity efforts for VA.gov—an online portal for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and services used by veterans, their caregivers and families. Kamens was fired Feb. 14 and said he doesn’t believe his role will be filled, leaving the site particularly vulnerable.
- ↑
Brian Slodysko (2025-02-25). "Federal Tech Staffers Quit Rather Than Help Musk". Time magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
Of the 40 people let go earlier this month, only one was an engineer — an outspoken and politically active staffer name Jonathan Kamens, who said in an interview with the AP that he believes he was fired for publicly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, on his personal blog and being critical of Musk in chats with colleagues.