MW DOGE blocked from accessing Social Security data in what judge calls a 'fishing expedition'

By Angela Moore

Temporary restraining order requires DOGE to delete personal data it has gathered

A federal judge in Maryland issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday, blocking Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Americans' private Social Security Administration data, and requiring DOGE to delete any information it has gathered.

District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander said the actions by DOGE had violated the Privacy Act. The group had been given "unbridled access" to data including Social Security numbers, all manner of medical records, work history, financial and tax information, birth and marriage certificates, and home and work addresses - without explaining why such an approach was necessary.

"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 wrote. "It has launched a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack."

DOGE was ordered to "disgorge or delete" the data it had obtained, disclosed or accessed, and the group was prohibited from installing software on SSA devices or accessing or disclosing any agency computer or software code.

Read: Here's how many 'dead people' really collect Social Security

DOGE - overseen by Musk, the Tesla $(TSLA)$ chief executive and presidential adviser - has been on a tear to root out what it calls "fraud, waste and abuse" in the federal government, cutting jobs and attempting to dismantle agencies. Musk appeared at a conservative political gathering in February waving a chain saw and vowing to cut bureaucracy. He also referred to Social Security as a Ponzi scheme. President Donald Trump and Musk have both claimed without evidence that millions of dead people were receiving Social Security benefits.

Read: Opinion: Trump and Musk's Social Security 'chain saw massacre' makes no sense

Last month, DOGE's attempts to access Social Security's database sparked concern that workers' personal medical and financial information would be compromised, leading to privacy breaches and a disruption of benefits. The acting agency commissioner at the time, Michelle King, refused DOGE access to systems containing recipient data. She was replaced by Leland Dudek of the Social Security antifraud office. President Trump's nominee to lead the agency, Frank Bisignano, still must be confirmed by the Senate.

Read: Should you be worried about Elon Musk's DOGE accessing your Social Security information?

The restraining order was requested by a group of unions and retirees and Democracy Forward, a legal services and advocacy group.

The Social Security Administration and DOGE could not immediately be reached for comment.

-Angela Moore

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March 21, 2025 06:57 ET (10:57 GMT)

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