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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Adam Smith

Secret invitation to work for Joe Biden hidden in White House website

Photograph: Getty Images

Following the inauguration of president Joe Biden, the White House website has gone through numerous changes.  

The site now mentions climate , reversing former president Donald Trump’s decision to remove mentions of greenhouse gas emissions on his first day in office.

It also has a new dark mode, accompanying its new design.

But the White House website also has a hidden secret, aimed to recruit people into service of the state.

People using the developer tools in their web browser will find a message that reads "If you're reading this, we need your help building back better," with a link to the United States Digital Service (USDS) job application page.

The Easter egg was spotted by Microsoft employee Isaac Hepworth.

The USDS provides consultation services to federal agencies on internet communications, and designs ways that technology can help Americans interact with the government.

It has been responsible for a number of initiatives that would revamp department websites, such as those veterans use to manage their benefits or immigration documentation.

A veteran benefit website that was a "mess of interconnected sub-sites and instructional PDFs", TechCrunch reports, was redesigned by the department, replaced with a single login with the most-used services easily accessible for its older users.

“Oftentimes we build a front end and it still talks to an abysmal, or maybe antiquarian, system in the back end,” USDS Administrator Matt Cutts said. “VA.gov required a special version of Internet Explorer!”

During the coronavirus pandemic, the USDS was tracking infection rates and face masks. "We've got folks slotted in at all kinds of places from the VA to CMS, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services", Mr Cutts told CBS News.

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