A Department of Energy employee’s security clearance was permanently revoked after he accidentally uploaded nearly 200,000 sexually explicit images to a government network, according to a recently published administrative ruling.
The incident came to light in March 2023 when DOE contractors detected unusual data transfers to the agency’s servers. An investigation revealed that the individual had mistakenly backed up a massive personal collection of pornographic material—amassed over what he described as “25–30 years”—to DOE computers.
According to the December 6, 2024 ruling from the Office of Hearings and Appeals, the employee had been attempting to back up his collection for use as training data in an artificial intelligence image generator. He told investigators he had been “playing with tools that made generative images as a coping strategy, including ‘robot pornography.'”
The employee maintained he believed his personal and government drives were properly separated, and that “his personal material would not contaminate his” government-issued computer. The error went undetected for approximately six months before DOE security personnel discovered the files on government servers.
When confronted about the violation, the employee admitted to the mistake but told investigators he “did not think it was very wrong.” He also complained that his employer was monitoring him too closely, comparing the investigation to “the Spanish Inquisition.”
The case revealed deeper concerns about the employee’s mental health. A DOE-contracted psychologist determined he was experiencing a major depressive episode at a moderate to severe level, which had compromised “his judgment, trustworthiness, and ability to comply with rules and policies.” The employee had been treated for depression since childhood and described experiencing periodic episodes characterized by feeling “extremely isolated and lonely.”
At his hearing, the individual presented evidence showing his mental health had stabilized with medication adjustments and that he had implemented safeguards to prevent similar incidents. However, the DOE psychologist testified that his prognosis for avoiding future episodes that could compromise his judgment was only “fair.”
The Administrative Judge ultimately ruled that the security concerns remained unresolved, denying the restoration of his access authorization under guidelines related to psychological conditions and misuse of information technology systems.