A federal judge has temporarily blocked Elon Musk and members of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive records within the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) systems, citing privacy concerns.
The directive requires the team to eliminate any personally identifiable information they currently possess.
US District Judge Ellen Hollander determined that the team received extensive access to sensitive Social Security Administration data without adequate justification for their fraud investigation. “The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion,” she stated.
“To be sure, rooting out possible fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the SSA is in the public interest. But, that does not mean that the government can flout the law to do so,” Hollander further wrote.
The directive permits DOGE staff to access redacted data without personal identifiers, provided they complete training and security clearances.
The current administration maintains DOGE addresses federal government inefficiencies. Musk has particularly scrutinised Social Security, labelling it a “ponzi scheme” and advocating waste reduction as crucial for decreasing government expenditure.
The decision, subject to appeal, stems from legal action by unions, pensioners and Democracy Forward. They contended that DOGE’s access violates privacy regulations and poses security risks. A former Social Security official’s testimony expressed serious concerns about data protection.
Court documents reveal DOGE deployed ten federal employees at SSA, with seven granted read-only access to agency systems or personal information. The government argued these federal employees were legally permitted to access data under privacy laws, with no evidence of improper information sharing. The Justice Department maintained that DOGE’s access aligned with standard agency practices of database searching.
However, the plaintiffs’ lawyers termed this access unprecedented. Lee Saunders, AFSCME president, celebrated the ruling as beneficial for workers and retirees nationwide. Democracy Forward’s president, Skye Perryman, commended the court’s recognition of DOGE’s concerning actions.
Meanwhile, DOGE has reportedly accessed other government databases, including Treasury and IRS systems. At SSA, DOGE staff arrived shortly after the inauguration, seeking rapid access to restricted data systems, according to a former official’s court testimony.
Tiffany Flick, former acting chief of staff, indicated the team’s fraud investigation was based on misunderstandings.
Judge Hollander, 75, based in Baltimore and appointed by President Obama, joins other judges in reviewing DOGE cases. The initiative faces numerous lawsuits. Recently, another Maryland judge ruled DOGE’s USAID restructuring likely unconstitutional.
