The Trump administration has orchestrated a sweeping array of policy reversals this past year, significantly eroding the nation’s capacity and resolve to confront multifaceted technology challenges, spanning cybersecurity, privacy, disinformation, fraud, and corruption. These profound shifts, coupled with the president’s aggressive pursuit of policies that curtail free speech and the freedom of the press, have unfolded with such astonishing rapidity that many remain unaware of their full scope and implications. This review meticulously details these critical developments across key sectors, highlighting the profound impact on American security, civil liberties, and democratic institutions.

FREE SPEECH: Silencing Dissent and Controlling Narratives

President Trump has consistently asserted that the 2020 election was illicitly "stolen" due to a perceived conspiracy by social media and Big Tech companies to suppress conservative voices. In his second term, this narrative has fueled a determined effort to leverage federal power to restrict the speech of ordinary Americans and even foreigners seeking entry into the United States. A cornerstone of this strategy is National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), signed in September. This directive empowers federal law enforcement and intelligence analysts to target "anti-American" activities, including tax crimes perpetrated by extremist groups. Journalist Ken Klippenstein’s extensive reporting reveals that the directive’s focus encompasses opposition to law and immigration enforcement, fervent support for mass migration and open borders, adherence to radical gender ideology, and broader sentiments of "anti-Americanism," "anti-capitalism," and "anti-Christianity."

Further solidifying this trend, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo earlier this month, instructing the FBI to compile a registry of Americans whose activities "may constitute domestic terrorism." This initiative includes the establishment of a cash reward system to incentivize public reporting of suspected domestic terrorist activities. The memo’s broad definitions of domestic terrorism notably include "opposition to law and immigration enforcement" and support for "radical gender ideology."

In parallel, the administration is implementing stringent social media scrutiny for international visitors. Tourists, including those from key allied nations like Britain, Australia, France, and Japan, will soon be compelled to furnish five years of their social media history, as detailed in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notice. This expanded data collection will also encompass email addresses from the past decade, recent telephone numbers, and familial details. Data from Wired indicates a record surge in CBP device searches at the border over the preceding year, underscoring a heightened surveillance posture. These new requirements are underpinned by Executive Order 14161, ostensibly aimed at combating "foreign terrorist and public safety threats." However, civil rights organizations warn that this order grants sweeping authority that could facilitate a resurgence of travel bans and expanded visa denials or deportations based on perceived ideology. Critics point to the order’s vague language surrounding "public safety threats" as a deliberate mechanism to target individuals based on their political views, national origin, or religious beliefs. Currently, at least 35 nations face some form of U.S. travel restrictions.

CRIME AND CORRUPTION: Undermining Enforcement and Enabling Illicit Activity

In a move that sent shockwaves through international finance and anti-corruption efforts, President Trump ordered executive branch agencies in February to cease enforcing the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). This directive effectively halted ongoing foreign bribery investigations and, alarmingly, permits "remedial actions" for past enforcement actions deemed "inappropriate." Concurrently, the White House dismantled the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative and the KleptoCapture Task Force. These vital units had proven instrumental in dismantling corruption networks and seizing assets from sanctioned Russian oligarchs. Their dissolution and the diversion of resources away from investigating white-collar crime represent a significant rollback in the fight against financial malfeasance.

Further eroding efforts to counter foreign interference, Attorney General Pam Bondi dissolved the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force in February. This entity, established during Trump’s first term, was specifically designed to combat the influence of foreign governments on American politics. The implications of this dissolution are stark, particularly in light of Reuters’ March 2025 report detailing the cessation of coordinated U.S. national security agency efforts to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation, and cyberattacks. This halt occurred despite explicit warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies regarding escalating Russian cyber warfare against Western nations, a threat that former President Joe Biden had prioritized with dedicated working groups.

The independence of the Justice Department faced a severe test when Trump’s administration directed prosecutors to drop the corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. The fallout was immediate and severe, leading to multiple senior official resignations in protest, case reassignment, and widespread chaos within the Southern District of New York (SDNY)—historically a bulwark against public corruption, white-collar crime, and cybercrime.

In the realm of cryptocurrency, the administration has demonstrably shifted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from an enforcement-focused regulator to an industry cheerleader. This pivot comes despite the crypto industry’s persistent struggles with scams, fraud, and "rug-pulls." The SEC, in 2025, systematically retreated from pursuing major enforcement actions against prominent cryptocurrency operators, notably dropping significant cases against Coinbase and Binance.

Perhaps the most egregious example of this compromised approach involves Justin Sun, the Chinese-born founder of the cryptocurrency company Tron. Charged with fraud and market manipulation by the SEC in 2023, Sun subsequently invested $75 million in the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial (WLF) tokens, became the top holder of the $TRUMP memecoin, and secured a coveted seat at an exclusive dinner with the President. In late February 2025, the SEC abruptly dropped its lawsuit against Sun. This development coincided with Tron’s public offering via a reverse merger arranged by Dominari Securities, a firm with established ties to the Trump family. Democratic lawmakers have called for an investigation into these "concerning ties to President Trump and his family," citing potential conflicts of interest and foreign influence.

Adding to these concerns, President Trump issued a pardon in October to Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Zhao and Binance had pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to prevent money laundering on the platform, resulting in a $4 billion fine for Binance and a four-month sentence for Zhao. As CBS News highlighted last month, shortly after Zhao’s pardon application, he was central to a significant deal that propelled the Trump family’s WLF into prominence. The report detailed how an Emirati fund invested $2 billion in Zhao’s Binance, with the transaction conducted in World Liberty crypto.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins has publicly declared that "most crypto tokens are not securities," signaling a radical departure from prior regulatory stances. Simultaneously, President Trump has directed the Department of Labor and the SEC to expand 401(k) access to private equity and cryptocurrency—asset classes historically restricted for retail investors due to their inherent risks, fees, opacity, and illiquidity. This executive order explicitly prioritizes "curbing ERISA litigation" and reducing fiduciary accountability, effectively shifting substantial risk onto the retirement savings of ordinary workers.

In a move widely criticized by finance experts, the U.S. Treasury, at the White House’s behest, suspended the Corporate Transparency Act in March. This crucial law mandated that companies reveal their beneficial owners, and its suspension is predicted to facilitate the resurgence of shell companies and "open the floodgates of dirty money" through the U.S., fueling illicit activities by drug cartels, human traffickers, and fraud syndicates.

Trump’s clemency decisions have demonstrably created a pattern of freed criminals re-offending. Jonathan Braun, whose sentence for drug trafficking was commuted during Trump’s first term, was found guilty in 2025 of violating supervised release and now faces new charges. Eliyahu Weinstein, who received a commutation in January 2021 for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme, was sentenced in November 2025 to 37 years for operating a new, elaborate Ponzi scheme. The administration has also granted clemency to a growing number of white-collar criminals, including David Gentile, a private equity executive sentenced to seven years for securities and wire fraud (functionally a Ponzi-like scheme), and Trevor Milton, the Nikola founder sentenced to four years for defrauding investors. This pattern sends a clear and alarming message: financial crimes against ordinary investors are being treated as trivial.

Compounding these issues, at least 10 of the January 6 insurrectionists pardoned by President Trump have since been rearrested, charged, or sentenced for new crimes, including plotting the murder of FBI agents, child sexual assault, possession of child sexual abuse material, and reckless homicide while driving under the influence.

The administration has also imposed sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). Executive Order 14203, issued on February 6, 2025, authorized asset freezes and visa restrictions against ICC officials investigating U.S. citizens or allies, primarily in response to the ICC’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Earlier this month, the President launched the "Gold Card" initiative, a visa scheme established by an executive order in September. This program offers wealthy individuals and corporations expedited pathways to U.S. residency and citizenship in exchange for significant financial contributions: $1 million for individuals and $2 million for companies, plus ongoing fees. The administration is also reportedly planning a "platinum" version of the card, offering special tax breaks for a substantial $5 million investment.

FEDERAL CYBERSECURITY: Weakening Defenses and Disbanding Expertise

President Trump’s second term began with a direct assault on the integrity of federal cybersecurity institutions. His campaign rhetoric, focused on the baseless claim of a stolen election, quickly translated into action. Shortly after his inauguration, he summarily fired Chris Krebs, the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), for the perceived transgression of publicly stating that the 2020 election was the most secure in U.S. history. Trump revoked Krebs’s security clearances, initiated a Justice Department investigation into his election security work, and suspended the security clearances of employees at SentinelOne, the cybersecurity firm where Krebs served as chief intelligence and public policy officer. This unprecedented presidential action against a U.S. cybersecurity company prompted Krebs’s resignation, citing a desire to push back against Trump’s efforts "to go after corporate interests and corporate relationships."

Further undermining cybersecurity resilience, the President dismissed all 15 members of the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB). This nonpartisan government entity, established in 2022, was mandated to investigate security failures behind major cybersecurity events. Its likely demise was precipitated by the inclusion of Chris Krebs among its advisors. At the time of its disbandment, the CSRB was compiling a critical report on the root causes of Chinese government-backed digital intrusions into at least nine U.S. telecommunications providers. In a related move, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) swiftly rolled back a previous ruling that mandated stricter cybersecurity measures for U.S. telecom carriers, despite ongoing state-sponsored hacking risks.

Meanwhile, CISA has experienced a staggering loss of approximately one-third of its workforce this year, attributed to mass layoffs and deferred resignations. The government shutdown in October exacerbated this crisis, leading to further layoffs and the furloughing of 65 percent of remaining staff, leaving only 900 employees operational without pay. Adding insult to injury, the Department of Homeland Security has reassigned CISA cyber specialists to support the president’s deportation agenda. Bloomberg reported earlier this year that CISA employees were given an ultimatum: accept new roles or resign, with some reassignments involving relocation.

The White House has signaled its intention to impose further draconian cuts, proposing an additional $491 million reduction to CISA’s budget next year. These cuts disproportionately target CISA programs focused on international affairs and combating misinformation and foreign propaganda, justified by debunked claims of CISA engaging in censorship.

A parallel reorganization is underway at the FBI. The Washington Post reported in October that a quarter of all FBI agents have been reassigned from national security threats to immigration enforcement. Reuters corroborated this trend last week, highlighting how the replacement of seasoned leaders at the FBI and Justice Department with Trump loyalists has resulted in an unprecedented number of prosecutorial missteps, leading to a 21 percent dismissal rate of criminal complaints from the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s office over an eight-week period—a stark contrast to the .5% dismissal rate over the preceding decade. These errors are eroding credibility with federal courts, with some judges quashing subpoenas, threatening criminal contempt, and issuing opinions that question prosecutorial conduct. Grand juries have also, in rare instances, begun rejecting indictments, a highly unusual occurrence given the prosecutors’ control over evidence presentation.

In August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) banned state and local governments from using cyber grants to fund services provided by the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). For over two decades, MS-ISAC has been a critical hub for sharing cybersecurity intelligence across state lines and providing vital software and resources at minimal cost. Specifically, DHS prohibited states from utilizing these funds for services offered by the Elections Infrastructure ISAC, which was effectively shuttered after DHS withdrew its funding in February.

Cybersecurity Dive reports that the Trump administration’s drastic workforce reductions, coupled with pervasive mission uncertainty and a persistent leadership void, have severely disrupted federal agencies’ collaborative efforts with businesses and local utilities responsible for safeguarding critical infrastructure such as healthcare facilities, water treatment plants, energy companies, and telecommunications networks. These disruptions follow the U.S. government’s elimination of CIPAC, a framework that enabled private companies to share cyber and threat intelligence without fear of legal repercussions. Government leaders have reportedly canceled meetings with infrastructure operators, forced out long-standing points of contact, ceased attending key industry events, and scrapped coordination programs that fostered trust for sensitive discussions about cyberattacks and threats with federal agencies.

Both the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Cyber Command have been operating without permanent leadership since Trump dismissed Air Force General Timothy Haugh in April, allegedly for disloyalty and at the suggestion of far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. The nomination of Army Lt. Gen. William Hartman for the same position failed in October. The White House has also ordered the NSA to implement an 8 percent reduction in its civilian workforce, impacting between 1,500 and 2,000 employees.

The Associated Press reported in August that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) plans a significant workforce reduction and budget cut of over $700 million annually. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard justified these cuts by citing ODNI’s alleged bloat, inefficiency, and a prevalent culture of abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence.

The widespread firing or forced retirement of federal employees has inadvertently benefited foreign intelligence agencies. Chinese intelligence agencies, for instance, have reportedly moved swiftly to capitalize on these mass layoffs, employing a network of front companies to recruit recently displaced U.S. government employees for "consulting work." Former employees of the Defense Department’s Defense Digital Service, who resigned en masse earlier this year due to DOGE encroaching on their mission, have been approached by the United Arab Emirates to work on artificial intelligence for its armed forces, reportedly with the tacit approval of the Trump administration.

PRESS FREEDOM: Weaponizing Law and Silencing Critics

President Trump has escalated his war on the press through a barrage of multibillion-dollar lawsuits filed against major news outlets, including ABC, the BBC, CBS parent company Paramount, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, over segments and interviews allegedly portraying him unfavorably. This legal offensive represents a direct assault on the First Amendment’s guarantee of a free press.

Furthermore, the President signed an executive order aimed at slashing public subsidies to PBS and NPR, citing alleged "bias" in their reporting. In July, Congress approved Trump’s request to cut $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nonprofit entity that underpins PBS and NPR.

Brendan Carr, the President’s nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), initially pledged to "dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans." However, on January 22, 2025, the FCC reopened complaints against ABC, CBS, and NBC concerning their coverage of the 2024 election. These complaints, previously dismissed by the prior FCC chair as attacks on the First Amendment and attempts to weaponize the agency for political purposes, represent a clear pattern of using regulatory power to suppress unfavorable coverage.

In February, President Trump seized control of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), the nonprofit entity responsible for determining media access to the White House and the presidential press pool. The President subsequently invited an additional 32 media outlets, predominantly conservative or right-wing organizations, to join the WHCA. Poynter.org reports that this expansion includes three religious networks with conservative leanings, alongside a mix of legacy and digital outlets, including one powered by artificial intelligence. In a particularly egregious act, Trump barred The Associated Press from the White House for refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America."

Under the leadership of Trump appointee Kari Lake, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has initiated a campaign to dismantle Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and other networks that have historically served as crucial sources of credible information behind authoritarian regimes. While courts have blocked shutdown orders, the damage continues through administrative leave, contract terminations, and protracted funding disputes.

President Trump’s administration has also systematically dismantled the infrastructure for government transparency. He has fired most of the personnel responsible for processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests across federal agencies. FOIA is an indispensable tool for journalists and the public to access government records and hold leaders accountable. The increased difficulty in obtaining information makes challenging federal agencies in court far more arduous, particularly as competent law firms may shy away from cases that could antagonize the President and his administration. In a chilling development, a March 22 memorandum directs the heads of the Justice and Homeland Security Departments to "seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable and vexatious litigation against the United States," or in matters before federal agencies. This directive effectively threatens legal reprisal against those who challenge government actions.

The Trump administration has also announced increased vetting for H-1B visa applicants, with an internal State Department memo indicating that individuals involved in the "censorship" of free speech should be considered for rejection. Executive Order 14161, issued in 2025, titled "Foreign Terrorist and Public Safety Threats," grants broad new authority that civil rights groups warn could enable a renewed travel ban and expanded visa denials or deportations based on perceived ideology. Critics argue that the order’s vague language around "public safety threats" creates latitude for targeting individuals based on their political views, national origin, or religion.

CONSUMER PROTECTION, PRIVACY: Dismantling Safeguards and Enabling Surveillance

At the outset of this year, President Trump ordered staffers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to cease most of their operations. The CFPB, established by Congress in 2011 as a clearinghouse for consumer complaints, has a proven track record of suing major financial institutions for violating consumer protection laws, recovering nearly $18 billion for Americans through compensation and debt cancellation, and imposing $4 billion in civil penalties. The Trump administration’s stated plan to fire up to 90 percent of CFPB staff was significantly challenged by a recent federal appeals court ruling that overturned an earlier decision allowing the firings. Reuters reported this week that a ten-month legal battle by an employee union and others has left the agency largely paralyzed.

The CFPB’s acting director, Russell Vought, a key architect of the GOP policy framework Project 2025, has overseen the quiet withdrawal of a data broker protection rule intended to limit the sale of personal information on Americans. This action, taken in May, directly contradicts the agency’s mandate to protect consumers.

Despite the Federal Reserve’s own post-mortem explicitly blaming Trump-era deregulation for the 2023 Silicon Valley Bank collapse, which triggered a rapid crisis requiring emergency bailouts, Trump’s banking regulators in 2025 doubled down. They loosened capital requirements, narrowed definitions of "unsafe" banking practices, and stripped specific risk categories from supervisory frameworks, creating a precarious environment ripe for another banking crisis necessitating taxpayer intervention.

The Privacy Act of 1974, a cornerstone of federal privacy law, was enacted to ensure that personal information provided to federal agencies for specific services is used solely for its intended purpose. However, it was revealed in June that the Trump administration has constructed a centralized database of all U.S. citizens. According to NPR, the White House intends to utilize this new platform during upcoming elections to verify voter identity and citizenship status. This database, developed by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Government Efficiency, is being rolled out incrementally to U.S. states.

DOGE: The Unseen Data Heist and the Erosion of Oversight

The most significant and largely unaddressed issue of 2025 revolves around the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the fate of the sensitive personal, financial, and other data accessed by its personnel. President Trump appointed Elon Musk to lead this newly created department, which was largely staffed by current and former employees of Musk’s various technology companies, including individuals with a history in the cybercrime community. Reports emerged that the DOGE team was utilizing artificial intelligence to surveil communications within at least one federal agency, specifically looking for signs of hostility toward Trump and his agenda.

DOGE employees gained access to and synthesized data from a vast array of previously separate and highly guarded federal databases, including those managed by the Social Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Personnel Management, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. This access was achieved by circumventing or dismantling critical security measures designed to prevent misuse, such as standard incident response protocols, auditing, and change-tracking mechanisms. An IT expert with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleges that DOGE employees likely downloaded gigabytes of data from agency case files in early March, using transient accounts configured to leave minimal network activity traces. This massive data outflow coincided with multiple blocked login attempts from Russian IP addresses, which attempted to use valid credentials for a newly created DOGE user account.

The stated objective of DOGE was to streamline bureaucracy and drastically cut costs by eliminating funding for congressionally approved federal initiatives. The DOGE website claimed these efforts yielded "wasteful" and "fraudulent" federal spending reductions exceeding $200 billion. However, independent news organizations conducting reviews determined that the actual "savings" were orders of magnitude lower, likely closer to $2 billion.

Concurrently with DOGE’s slashing of federal programs, President Trump fired at least 17 inspectors general at federal agencies—the very individuals tasked with identifying and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse. This included several agencies, such as the NLRB, that had open investigations into one or more of Mr. Musk’s companies for alleged non-compliance with protocols protecting state secrets. In September, a federal judge ruled that the president had unlawfully fired these agency watchdogs, but none have been reinstated.

The current status of DOGE remains ambiguous. Reuters reported last month that, from the White House’s perspective, DOGE "no longer exists," despite its charter technically having more than six months remaining. The question of who retains access to the federal agency data fed into AI tools by DOGE remains unanswered. KrebsOnSecurity acknowledges the invaluable assistance of anonymous researcher NatInfoSec in the research for this comprehensive report.