White House design office installs visitor-tracking on federal websites

newsJun 28, 202633654

The White House’s National Design Studio, created by executive order on August 21, 2025 and staffed largely by former DOGE employees, rebuilt and now operates at least four public federal sites, ndstudio.gov, trumprx.gov, realfood.gov and trumpaccounts.gov, and installed commercial visitor-tracking software PostHog on those pages and copies of sensitive services including passport and voter-registration sites. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency domain records show the executive office of the president listed as the registrant for the Studio’s sites, meaning the White House controls the infrastructure routing passport and vote-registration interactions. The tracking code was configured to evade common browser privacy tools and none of the sites carried the federal privacy filings normally required under the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002. Privacy and election experts warn that routing identity-checks and registration flows through infrastructure the White House controls and outside usual agency reporting could give the administration access to data it previously would not see and remove normal oversight. The Studio is designated inside the executive office as a “temporary organization,” leaving open questions about who can review or remove the tracking and what legal authority governs its operations next.

Alt National Park Service

@altnps.bsky.social

This post is going to be long but it’s important. One of the least-discussed developments in the Trump administration is the creation of the National Design Studio (NDS). On the surface, it was presented as a project to modernize government websites and improve the user experience.

5803h ago

Alt National Park Service169

But a closer look shows it has become much more than a web design office. Created by executive order in August 2025, NDS was placed inside the White House rather than an individual federal agency.

Dutchsgirl63

Wow! I knew Doge wasn't done screwing us! What a bunch of sad pathetic pieces of garbage!

youvotedforthis2.bsky.social49

So, what you're saying is, if you access any of these website, they will steal your information then watch everything you do. Did he rewrite the First Amendment again?

Laura🗺️41

Wasn't the whole purpose of DOGE to steal our data and money? Destroying institutions in the process?

marc 🇪🇺28

.....gonna have to boycott Airbnb

HappyCamper2221

This is a major point of concern for all Americans. Barriers to proper ID especially means losing access to any and all benefits, services & voting Remember DEI includes not just minorities but also women, disabled and Native Americans. Of course, if you're a registered Democrat, probably that too

Quoting this

Reflections Of Algae Pool LIBBEY DEM ♿🇺🇦🇵🇸2

If you use Login. Gov for Social Security like I do, you know that they have access to ALL of your personal information. They are getting shot down in every court for trying to get voter rolls, so they are going to illegally get our information through government websites. Motherfuckers!

RoseMarie

@rosesbloom24.bsky.social

An opaque White House office staffed largely by veterans of Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) has quietly rebuilt some of the federal government’s most sensitive websites – for passport applications, voter registration, (cont.) www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...?

344h ago

RoseMarie5

prescription-drug pricing and children’s savings – in ways critics say appear to violate federal law. The National Design Studio (NDS) was established by a Donald Trump executive order last August, and is led by Trump-aligned Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia and staffed by Doge veterans.

@debbie1562

Trump RX is a grift. Anyone who goes to this website deserves whatever they get. I do not go to any WH bs pages.

Row Jimmy1

The national government websites I used to trust for fairly reliable information are now shit—almost completely useless.

Susan Hendrick, Esq.1

And they are so incompetent and leave back doors that other people are getting our sensitive information.

Watchdog Progressive

@watchdogprg.bsky.social

‘It’s dangerous and it’s going to erode trust’: redesign of US government websites stokes surveillance fears. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

85h ago

Quoting this

Litahart72🌎🏳️‍🌈✌️🫶🏼🌅💔3

Doge, Elon, and the destruction of America.

Rightardia

@rightardia.bsky.social

The National Design Studio (NDS) built and now operates four public federal websites: ndstudio.gov, trumprx.gov, realfood.gov and trumpaccounts.gov. All four run commercial visitor-tracking software, configured to evade the privacy tools many web users install . . .

86h ago

Baggage

@carrieonbaggage.bsky.social

This story is slow breaking but vitally important, originally investigated by the Drey Dossier (in links) "A federal voter-registration system run from inside the White House, with identity and citizenship checks routed through systems the administration controls..."

46h ago

progressivebeat.bsky.social

@progressivebeat.bsky.social

"The National Design Studio, staffed by Doge veterans, installed visitor-tracking software on vital federal websites" Illegally, of course.

35h ago

Just Carry On! 🌻

@justcarryon88.bsky.social

🚨READ this article. DOGE is still alive and well in The National Design Studio! And as a "temporary agency" has no oversight. The Guardian share.google/KuejPrFUuVaF...

23h ago

Patrick Hickey, MD

@pwhickey.bsky.social

“The National Design Studio (NDS) was established by a Donald Trump executive order last August, and is led by Trump-aligned Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia and staffed by Doge veterans.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

41h ago

Nikhil Shah

@grandmastershah.bsky.social

"All four ran commercial visitor-tracking software, configured to evade the privacy tools many web users install, and none carry the public filings federal privacy law requires under laws including the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002."

3h ago

Valerie A. Traina

@v3ndettaval.bsky.social

‘Public ownrshp recrds maintaind by th Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency list th exec ofc of th pres as th registrnt of th studio’s sites, includ passports.gov & th vote.gov copy, meang tht th ofc contrls th domains. Qs remain abt th sort of acces tht ths cld giv th WH to vote reg data.

13h ago

Kevin Korb

@kbkorb.bsky.social

The US gov is now tracking Americans use of gov websites in ways that appear to be illegal, overseen by Trump support Joe "Goebbels" Gebbia.

33h ago

Tom Gillespie

@tagillespie.bsky.social

"Combined, the sites route sensitive interactions Americans have with their government through infrastructure the White House apparently controls, and outside the reporting and accountability systems that normally cover federal agencies."

13h ago

kathykadane.bsky.social

@kathykadane.bsky.social

#SURVEILLANCE #GOVTWEBSITES #HESWATCHINGYOU #HESTRICKINGYOU "..the sites route sensitive interactions Americans hv w govt thru infrastructure the White House apparently controls [that is] outside reporting,accountability systems w normally cover fed agencies." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

3h ago

Grandma

@grandmasweb.bsky.social

Now we know what that 'experiment' with Musk was really all about. Staffed by Doge veterans, visitor-tracking software now rests on vital federal websites. This is probably a bigger deal than the press might make, unless they already asked: what for?

6h ago

taxtweet ... Kay IRL

@taxtweet.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... From the Nobody Is Surprised By This 🍊🤡 Administration’s Latest Move file.

25h ago

1 source

theguardian.com‘It’s dangerous and it’s going to erode trust’: redesign of US government websites stokes surveillance fears

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White House design office installs visitor-tracking on federal websites

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