New Internet Restrictions at the SSA

Employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA) were informed on Thursday morning that new rules forbid them from accessing 'general news' websites, including those that 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.' The email listed the categories of prohibited websites, including 'Online shopping,' 'General News,' and 'Sports.'

According to sources inside the SSA, Wired.com is no longer accessible, 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.

The block list appears not to be based on ideological grounds, as Fox News and Breitbart are also blocked. The SSA announced plans to cut 7,000 employees, and many of the agency's most senior staff have resigned, including former SSA commissioner Michelle King.

The SSA spokesperson stated that the restrictions were implemented because 'employees should be focused on mission-critical work and serving the American people.' However, the agency did not respond to requests for comment on why some news websites were blocked and others were not.