Federal Judge Halts DOGE's Access To Social Security Data Over Privacy Concerns

A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Social Security Administration (SSA) likely violated privacy laws by allowing Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) unmonitored access to sensitive data from millions of Americans, and issued a temporary restraining order to stop further record sharing.

In a 137-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander emphasized that the administration failed to justify why DOGE affiliates required such broad access to sensitive personal information. As per the law, there must be a clear "need" for such access, which the government failed to establish, she noted, CNN reported.

"The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion," Hollander stated. "It has launched a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack."

According to three former and current SSA staffers who spoke to Reuters, one of the systems accessed by DOGE is called Numident, or Numerical Identification, which is referred to within the agency as the "crown jewels." Numident holds personal information of everyone who has applied for or received a Social Security number.

"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," the ruling stated.

Order mandates deletion of personal data

As part of the ruling, the court ordered that any personally identifiable information acquired by DOGE affiliates be deleted. Additionally, Hollander mandated the removal of any software installed by DOGE staff within SSA systems.

While the order blocks further access to personal data, it allows the DOGE team to view redacted or anonymized information, provided that the DOGE representatives accessing the data undergo proper training and background checks.

Trump administration's lack of transparency

In her ruling, Hollander also criticized the administration for withholding the identities of DOGE affiliates out of concern for potential harassment. However, she pointed out that the government did not demonstrate a similar concern for the privacy of millions of Americans whose data was exposed.

Judge Hollander highlighted the absence of adequate training for DOGE affiliates, as well as the failure of the government to do complete background checks on them before granting access to the SSA systems.

These systems, which hold confidential information such as medical records, bank account numbers, and tax returns, were compromised under the initiative, the judge pointed out and added that DOGE's actions amounted to "intrusion into the personal affairs of millions of Americans."

SSA reacts to the court's order

Leland Dudek, the acting head of the SSA, who had cooperated with DOGE, voiced concerns that the judge's order could affect all SSA staff, as it was broadly applied to the agency's operations. His comments pointed to potential disruptions within the administration.

"My anti-fraud team would be DOGE affiliates. My IT staff would be DOGE affiliates," Dudek said. "As it stands, I will follow it exactly and terminate access by all SSA employees to our IT systems."

However, an SSA spokesperson stated that the agency will adhere to the order: "We will work to comply with the court order," the spokesperson said, before Dudek's comments were reported.

Responding to the court ruling, a White House spokesman said Trump will "continue to seek all legal remedies available to ensure the will of the American people goes into effect."

"This is yet another activist judge abusing the judicial system to try and sabotage the President's attempts to rid the government of waste, fraud, and abuse," spokesman Harrison Fields said.