Federal health workers are on high alert and feeling “paranoid” after a “DEI Watch List” began making its rounds on social media.
According to NBC News, the website displays photos, names, and public information of several employees from health agencies — mostly Black workers from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). At one point, the employees were referred to as “targets” before someone later changed the headline on each page to “dossiers.”
Dictionary.com defines dossiers as documents about a particular person, event, or subject.
While it is unclear when the website first emerged, NBC reports that it is circulating among various private group chats of federal health workers and through social media links.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, learned of the website’s existence on the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, after a federal health worker shared it with him. He described the acts of online harassment as criminal and said law enforcement should investigate them.
“This is a scare tactic to try to intimidate people who are trying to do their work and do it admirably,” Benjamin said. “It’s clear racism.”
The website provides information on workers’ salaries and what it labels as “DEI offenses,” such as donating to Democratic candidates, sharing screenshots of social media posts, using pronouns in their bios, and participating in a DEI initiative removed from a federal site.
A note at the bottom of the website states, “A project of the American Accountability Foundation,” a conservative watchdog group.
The American Accountability Foundation and HHS, which oversees federal health agencies, did not immediately respond to NBC’s comment requests, the news outlet reported.
The website follows reports of “threatening” memos from HHS sent to public health workers, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), instructing them to stop any activities, jobs, or research related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The memos, described by a CDC physician as having an “aggressive” tone, also instructed employees to report co-workers who do not comply with these orders.
One government worker whose name appeared on the website called it “unnerving.”
“My name and my picture is there, and in 2025, it’s very simple to Google and look up someone’s home address and all kinds of things that potentially put me at risk,” said the employee, who requested anonymity because of safety concerns.
“I don’t know what the intention of the list is for,” the individual added, per NBC. “It’s just kind of a scary place to be.”
