USAID wiping and disposing devices, including iPhones and MacBooks, memo says
A memo sent to U.S. Agency for International Development employees Thursday announced that the now-hobbled agency will no longer try to salvage government devices for staff based domestically.
The move is notable, given that USAID had previously initiated some work to transfer technical assets to the State Department. It is not uncommon for the agency to remotely wipe devices abroad, but doing so domestically — and then trashing the equipment — is unusual. Federal agencies often auction office equipment, including computers, they no longer need.
In the letter, which was viewed by FedScoop, employees were told that U.S.-based direct hires, personal service contractors, and institutional support contractors must complete “various exit tasks,” including the return of government equipment. To “simplify the process and reduce burden,” the agency says it isn’t requiring employees to return iPhones, iPads, and laptops.
The memo stated: “The IT equipment will be remotely wiped and marked as disposed from USAID IT asset inventories on or around the employee Reduction in Force (RIF) date, and the employee can then dispose of the assets. Further details and updates regarding the remote wiping/sanitization process for the devices and what to anticipate will be communicated closer to the RIF dates.”
“This notice serves as official documentation that all IT [government furnished equipment] mentioned above will be marked as officially ‘disposed’ once remotely wiped” by the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the note added.
One agency source said the move could impact 10,000 employees.
The international development agency was among the earliest targets of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, with massive workforce reductions enacted during the first weeks of the Trump administration and tech systems shuttered or transferred to the State Department.
In early February, the government devices of USAID staffers around the world were disconnected, leaving some workers in dangerous and hard-to-reach locales without proper communications.
Soon after, USAID began using the “Sensitive But Unclassified” designation in its emails, a move some agency sources believed was intended to shield its messages from Freedom of Information Act requests.
FedScoop also reported that as of a few weeks ago, the agency’s information technology team was down to just five members. And earlier this month, as USAID edged closer to shuttering, a memo sent to bureau heads sought the return of some workers on administrative leave to help close up shop.
USAID’s website remains offline, beyond a small notice about reduction-in-force efforts, but Steven Hernandez is currently listed as the acting chief information officer on CIO.gov.
FedScoop managing editor Matt Bracken contributed to this article.
