After unions expressed concerns about the unelected billionaire's broad authority, a US judge decided to limit Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to Americans' social security data.
A consortium of labor unions and retirees filed the case, arguing that DOGE's recent actions violate privacy laws and pose serious information security threats. US District Judge Ellen Hollander imposed a preliminary injunction in the case.
A temporary restraining order had previously been imposed by Hollander.
If DOGE employees complete background checks and training, the injunction does permit them to view data that has been redacted or otherwise stripped of any personally identifiable information.
According to Hollander, DOGE and any employees connected to DOGE are required to delete any non-anonymized Social Security information they have obtained since January 20.
Additionally, they must uninstall any software or code they may have already installed, refrain from altering any of the Social Security Administration's computer code or software, and refrain from sharing any of that code with third parties.
Hollander frequently questioned the government's lawyers during a federal court hearing in Baltimore on Tuesday, asking why DOGE requires "seemingly unfettered access" to the agency's repositories of private data to detect Social Security fraud.
She maintained that the DOGE access doesn't differ much from the agency's standard procedures, which permit staff members and auditors to regularly search its databases.
However, plaintiffs' lawyers described it as "a sea change" and unprecedented in terms of the agency's handling of sensitive data, such as mental health and medical records and other information about children and people with disabilities — "issues that are not only sensitive but might carry a stigma."
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Since the start of President Donald Trump's second term, the Social Security Administration has been in disarray. Michelle King, the agency's acting commissioner, resigned in February after denying DOGE employees the access they requested.