On Thursday, a federal judge issued an order preventing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing systems at the Social Security Administration (SSA) that contain the personal information of millions of Americans.
In the ruling, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland criticized DOGE for engaging in what she described as a “fishing expedition” in search of fraud, relying on “little more than suspicion.” Judge Hollander noted that DOGE did not clearly define or explain a need for access to the “personal and private data of millions of Americans.”
Judge Hollander further stated that such access violates several federal privacy laws and could present cybersecurity risks.
According to the court filing, DOGE has 10 staff members at the SSA, with seven possessing access to personally identifiable information within the SSA’s data systems. TechCrunch identified some of these individuals, including Akash Bobba and Scott Coulter.
Judge Hollander mentioned that the SSA initially permitted DOGE access to the systems, which included Social Security numbers, medical records, drivers’ license numbers, tax information, and extensive amounts of other personal information.
