- By Supratik Das
- Fri, 17 Oct 2025 03:40 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In an unusual case that has shaken the US Department of Energy (DOE), a government employee lost his security clearance and access to sensitive nuclear information after investigators found nearly 187,000 sexually explicit images stored on his official work laptop.
The incident, which occurred in March 2023, came to light after the department’s internal network flagged a massive data backup. On inspection, officials discovered that the employee had attempted to store his decades-old personal pornographic collection on a government computer.
According to the DOE’s investigative report, the employee claimed he uploaded the content not for personal gratification but to “experiment” with AI image-generation tools. He reportedly wanted to use the collection, amassed over 30 years, as training data for artificial intelligence models.
Mental Health Cited As Reason
During questioning, the employee told investigators that he was battling depression and loneliness at the time and began “playing” with AI tools as a coping mechanism. The DOE report stated that he admitted to exploring “robot pornography” and related digital imagery during a “depressive episode.”
A subsequent psychological evaluation by a DOE-contracted psychologist confirmed that the individual was suffering from a major depressive episode at a “moderate to severe level.” The report added that his condition compromised his judgment, trustworthiness, and ability to comply with workplace policies.
Clearance Revoked, Appeal Denied
Following the discovery, the DOE immediately revoked the employee’s security clearance, cutting off his access to classified nuclear materials and other restricted data. But the department has not disclosed the employee’s identity
In 2024, an Administrative Judge reviewed his appeal but concluded that the clearance should not be restored. Despite submitting medical records and claiming that his new medication regimen had stabilized his mental health, the panel found that his prognosis for avoiding another episode was only “fair.”
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The DOE psychologist further noted that the employee failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove his reliability or ensure that similar misuse of information technology would not occur in the future. In his appeal, the man argued that his superiors were “spying” on him excessively and described the department’s internal investigation as being similar to the “Spanish Inquisition.”
He maintained that his actions were unintentional and stemmed from psychological distress rather than misconduct. But DOE upheld its decision, citing the “high-security nature” of his position and the potential risk posed to classified information systems.
The case has raised fresh questions about cybersecurity and employee mental health protocols in high-security government departments.