Federal judge blocks DOGE from accessing Social Security personal information for now

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Elon Musk ’s Department of Government Efficiency from Social Security Administration systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans.

The decision from U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland also requires the team to delete any personally identifiable data they may have. It comes after labor unions and retirees asked for an emergency order limiting DOGE access to the agency and its vast troves of personal data.

They said DOGE’s “nearly unlimited” access violates privacy laws and presents massive information security risks. A recently departed Social Security official who saw the DOGE team sweep into the agency said she is deeply worried about sensitive information being exposed.

The Trump administration says DOGE has a 10-person team of federal employees at the Social Security Administration, seven of whom have been granted read-only access to agency systems or personally identifiable information.

The administration has said DOGE is targeting waste and fraud in the federal government.