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Senators press nominees on use of Signal and contractor access to federal data after OPM breach reports
Summary
Senators raised concerns about use of commercial messaging apps for official business and reports that private contractors (referred to in the hearing as 'Doge') accessed sensitive OPM data. Nominees expressed support for statutory protections and said they would review data‑security practices if confirmed.
Senators from both parties pressed Scott Cooper and Eric Ueland on data security practices, the use of commercial messaging apps for government business and reports that contractors have had access to sensitive federal personnel and health data.
Why it matters: OPM maintains personnel records for millions of federal employees and applicants. Past OPM breaches have exposed personally identifiable information; committee members said recent reports about contractors’ access raise fresh oversight and privacy questions that could affect national security and veterans’ benefits.
Multiple senators cited recent reporting and events:…
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