A U.S. judge ruled on Thursday, April 18, to limit access to Americans’ Social Security data for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) following concerns raised by unions about the billionaire’s broad powers. The ruling by District Judge Ellen Hollander prohibits DOGE staff from accessing personal data, such as Social Security numbers, medical histories, or bank records, that could identify Americans.
According to the order, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is only permitted to provide redacted or anonymized records to DOGE employees who have undergone background checks and completed training on federal privacy laws and regulations.
This ruling is the latest legal challenge to Musk and DOGE’s efforts to reduce government spending, which has been criticized as wasteful or counter to President Donald Trump’s policies. It follows reports that Michelle King, the SSA chief, resigned in February over DOGE’s requests for access to Social Security recipient information.
The case was brought by several unions, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), who argued that the SSA had allowed unauthorized personnel from DOGE to access sensitive data, disregarding the privacy of millions of Americans. AFSCME praised the decision, calling it “important” and expressing relief that the court had intervened to halt what they described as DOGE’s “unlawful and dangerous overreach.”
As part of the ruling, DOGE staff are required to delete any non-anonymized Social Security data they may have obtained since Trump assumed office in January. Furthermore, DOGE will only be able to access personal Social Security data in specific cases, and only with court approval. The request to access such data must be more compelling than simply seeking to “search for fraud or waste.”
DOGE, under Musk’s direction, has faced scrutiny over its unclear legal status and concerns regarding conflicts of interest and its lack of public accountability as an unelected body seeking to implement significant government reforms.