The Trump administration is facing new scrutiny over the digital infrastructure behind several recently launched federal websites after an investigation alleged that visitor-tracking technology was embedded in government-operated platforms without the disclosures privacy advocates say are typically expected under federal law.
The allegations center on the White House's National Design Studio, a technology office established in 2025 to modernize online government services. According to the investigation, websites developed by the office contained commercial analytics software and other tracking mechanisms that critics argue may not have complied with federal transparency requirements. The White House has rejected those claims, maintaining that all personnel comply with applicable legal standards.
Created by executive order in August 2025, the National Design Studio operates within the Executive Office of the President and is led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia. The office, staffed largely by former members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, has played a growing role in redesigning government digital services, including platforms related to passport applications, prescription drug pricing, children's savings accounts and voter registration.
The investigation reported that several websites associated with the office-including ndstudio.gov, trumprx.gov, realfood.gov and trumpaccounts.gov-contained visitor analytics technology designed to monitor user activity. According to the publication, researchers examining the sites' source code identified the use of PostHog, a commercial analytics platform capable of recording user interactions such as clicks, scrolling behavior and navigation patterns.
Investigators also reported finding what appeared to be a separate in-house tracking tool that transmitted visitor information to an undisclosed destination. The report said portions of the tracking code disappeared after the White House received questions about the findings. The administration has not publicly explained why the changes were made, and there has been no official determination that any data was collected or handled improperly.
The allegations have prompted broader questions about compliance with federal privacy rules governing government websites.
Privacy advocates argue that agencies collecting online information are generally expected to provide public documentation describing:
- What information is collected.
- Why the information is gathered.
- How long it is retained.
- Where the data is stored and transmitted.
John Davisson, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told the publication that the National Design Studio appeared to be building what he characterized as an alternative federal digital infrastructure operating outside traditional privacy safeguards. He argued that privacy impact assessments required under laws such as the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002 help ensure transparency whenever agencies collect personal information online.
Researchers cited in the investigation also questioned the technical implementation of the analytics tools. According to the report, PostHog was configured so requests appeared to originate from government domains rather than directly from third-party servers, a setup that could make browser privacy protections less likely to identify or block the traffic. The publication added that none of the reviewed websites appeared to include public notices specifically describing the alleged tracking systems.
Beyond privacy concerns, the investigation also examined the National Design Studio's growing role in projects traditionally managed by independent federal agencies.
One example involved a preview version of Vote.gov, the federal voter registration portal overseen by the Election Assistance Commission. According to the report, development work took place on infrastructure associated with the Executive Office of the President, prompting questions among election officials and privacy experts about governance and oversight. The Election Assistance Commission later acknowledged discussions with the National Design Studio regarding modernization efforts but said the project had since been paused. The commission emphasized that the public Vote.gov website remains under its control and is not connected to White House-managed systems.
The investigation also reported that passports.gov had been operating on White House-managed infrastructure rather than the State Department's traditional online platform. Responding to those claims, a State Department spokesperson said the department continues to work closely with the White House to improve passport services while maintaining the security of passport systems and related technology.
Questions have also been raised about the National Design Studio's funding and contracting practices. According to the investigation, searches of USAspending, the federal government's contracting database, did not identify records detailing the office's expenditures or vendor relationships, leading critics to call for greater transparency regarding how the organization operates and procures technology services.
The White House has firmly rejected suggestions that the National Design Studio violated federal privacy requirements.
"All National Design Studio personnel comply with all legal requirements in their important work to improve how citizens interact with their government," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement.
