Article Text
Fifteen members of the Reston-based Defending Democracy Indivisibles gathered above Fairfax County Parkway during the evening rush on Feb. 10, 2025, to protest access to sensitive federal data.
Standing on the paved trail bridge for the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, the demonstrators held 17 tall letters facing homebound traffic. Together, the letters spelled out: “Musk Stole Your Data.”
One participant said drivers responded by honking as they traveled along the parkway.
The protest followed reports that Elon Musk and other members of the Department of Government Efficiency had gained access to Department of the Treasury data and computer systems. The federal payment system distributes trillions of dollars annually and contains confidential information connected to Social Security retirement and disability payments, federal tax refunds, veterans’ benefits, and federal employees’ wages and salaries.
The group planned to hold its next monthly demonstration at the National Rifle Association on Feb. 14, 2025. The Valentine’s Day event was intended to commemorate the victims of the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, and call for gun-safety measures.