Employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA) were informed on Thursday morning that new rules forbid them from accessing “general news” websites, including those which have been at the forefront of the reporting on Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort.
In an email reviewed by WIRED and addressed to “all SSA employees” from a mailing list called “internal communications,” the agency informed employees that it was “implementing additional restrictions to the categories of websites prohibited from government-furnished equipment. Effective today, March 6, 2025, the categories include: Online shopping; General News; and Sports.” The headline read “Internet Browsing from Government Equipment.”
The email did not specify which websites in particular were to be blocked. However, WIRED has confirmed with two sources inside the SSA that wired.com is no longer accessible today, though it was accessible previously.
The sources also confirmed that the websites of The Washington Post, The New York Times, and MSNBC were inaccessible. However, the sources were able to access other news websites including Politico and Axios.
“Local news blocked,” says one source at SSA, who was granted anonymity over fears of retribution. “So if there was a local shooting or something, I wouldn’t be able to see.”
It’s unclear who has implemented the block list or what criteria were used to populate it, but it appears not to be based on ideological grounds, as Fox News and Breitbart are also blocked.
On Friday, weeks after DOGE engineers were installed at SSA, the agency announced plans to cut 7,000 employees. Many of the agency’s most senior staff have resigned. This includes former SSA commissioner Michelle King, who has decades of experience within the agency. She was replaced by acting commissioner Leland Dudek, a mid-level staffer who claimed in a LinkedIn post, reviewed by WIRED, that he had been punished by King for helping DOGE engineers when they first arrived. Musk and Donald Trump have also continued to push the conspiracy theory that millions of dead people are continuing to collect social security benefits, despite the fact those claims have been debunked.
In the hours after the initial email was sent about blocking news sites, some employees received another email from their managers providing instructions on how to disable news showing up on the Edge landing page. This was not a requirement but a recommendation to help employees resist the temptation to click on news links, a source who had received the email told WIRED.
Those trying to visit wired.com were greeted with a page replicating much of what was in the initial email. It also listed a “URL Reputiation” score, though it was unclear where that score was being sourced from, or if it has a bearing on site access. Different blocked news websites were given different scores, according to screenshots viewed by WIRED.
SSA employees typically use computers with Microsoft’s Edge installed as the internet browser. The default landing page on that browser is set to show news headlines, according to several sources at SSA.
“Employees with a legitimate business [sic] should submit an exception SAM request for their supervisor’s review,” the email continued. “These additional restrictions will help reduce risk and better protect the sensitive information entrusted to us in our many systems.”
On Reddit, multiple members of the FedNews subreddit who said they worked at the SSA claimed that accessing news in a timely manner was an essential part of their job. Others pointed out that being able to make purchases online was a core component of their work.
The SSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the new restrictions. Employees at several other US government agencies contacted by WIRED said similar blocks on news pages had not been implemented on their networks.
