DOGE hit with new Social Security information limitations by judge

A federal judge in Baltimore has placed major limits on the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) ability to access sensitive Social Security data. The judge issued a temporary order blocking DOGE’s access after labor unions and retirees filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed that DOGE’s actions broke privacy laws and created serious risks to information security. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander gave several important reasons for imposing these restrictions.

As reported by AP news, a key part of her decision was that the government did not provide enough justification for DOGE’s request for nearly unlimited access to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) large databases. Judge Hollander found the government’s explanations unclear, inconsistent, and not strong enough to support the level of access DOGE wanted.

She stressed the need to protect the privacy of millions of Americans whose personal information is stored in the SSA’s systems. The temporary order sets several important rules for DOGE’s access. DOGE employees will only be allowed to see data that has been edited to remove personal details like names and identification numbers. Even with this anonymous data, they must complete required training and background checks, just like other SSA employees, per CBS.

Judge blocks DOGE’s access to Social Security data

The order also requires DOGE to delete any Social Security data it obtained since January 20 of this year that still contains personal information. To further protect SSA systems, DOGE staff are banned from making any changes to the agency’s computer programs or software. They must also remove any software or code they may have already installed. Sharing this software or code with outside groups is also completely prohibited.

The Trump administration argued against these limits, saying they would hurt DOGE’s ability to find fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the SSA. They claimed DOGE’s data access was not much different from what other SSA employees and auditors already have when they searched the agency’s databases. The administration also said that removing personal details from large amounts of data would be very difficult and take too much time.

The groups that filed the lawsuit argued that DOGE’s access was an extreme and dangerous invasion of privacy. They were worried it could harm Social Security recipients by exposing private medical and mental health records, as well as information about children and people with disabilities.

The SSA has faced a lot of internal problems since the start of President Trump’s second term. This includes the resignation of the agency’s acting commissioner, Michelle King, who reportedly left her job after refusing to give DOGE the access it wanted. Her replacement, Leland Dudek, was criticized for issuing and then canceling an order that would have required parents in Maine to register newborns for Social Security numbers at federal offices instead of hospitals.

Judge Hollander’s order could still face legal challenges. The ruling might be appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has supported the Trump administration in past cases involving DOGE’s access to sensitive data in other federal agencies.