The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was temporarily restricted from accessing Social Security data Thursday after a ruling by a Baltimore federal judge.
According to Fox News, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander issued a preliminary injunction and said DOGE staff purge any non-anonymized Social Security data they have received thus far.
The department is further barred from making changes to computer code or software used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and have been ordered to remove any software they have installed. Redacted data, however, can be used by DOGE staff if they undergo training
“The objective to address fraud, waste, mismanagement, and bloat is laudable, and one that the American public presumably applauds and supports,” Hollander wrote in the ruling. “Indeed, the taxpayers have every right to expect their government to make sure that their hard-earned money is not squandered.”
Hollander added that the issue is how DOGE wants to go about its work.
“For some 90 years, SSA has been guided by the foundational principle of an expectation of privacy with respect to its records. This case exposes a wide fissure in the foundation,” the judge wrote.
During the hearing, Fox News further reported that Hollander had repeatedly asked why DOGE needs access to personal information to uncover Social Security fraud.
“What is it we’re doing that needs all of that information?” Hollander asked.
Trump administration attorneys said changing the process would slow down their efforts.
“While anonymization is possible, it is extremely burdensome,” Justice Department attorney Bradley Humphreys told the court.
Skye Perryman, President and CEO of the legal services organization Democracy Forward, which initiated the lawsuit, stated that the ruling has delivered “significant relief for the millions of people who depend on the Social Security Administration to safeguard their most personal and sensitive information.”
The order does not apply to non-DOGE affiliated SSA workers. The injunction could also be appealed in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has sided with President Donald Trump in the past.
