United
States—The Daily Caller reported that during the administration of former
President Barack Obama, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates received a
"Q" level security clearance from the U.S. Department of Energy.
A
"Q" clearance is one of the most sensitive security credentials
within the Department of Energy and is typically granted to individuals
involved in nuclear weapons design, national laboratories, critical energy
infrastructure, and classified scientific research.
The report
cites a description from a national security firm, which explains that this
type of clearance grants access to restricted information related to highly
sensitive U.S. security programs.
The report
has generated various reactions on social media, where users have debated the
alleged scope of the clearance and the duties Gates may have performed.
So far, U.S.
authorities have not issued a recent public statement regarding the information
published by the Daily Caller.