DOGE’s Data Dive Denied: Court Grants Preliminary Injunction and Blocks Access to SSA System
Baltimore, MD — A federal court has granted a preliminary injunction blocking Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) from further accessing sensitive personal data stored within the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) systems. The ruling comes in response to a motion filed by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO; the American Federation of Teachers (AFT); and the Alliance for Retired Americans, all represented by Democracy Forward.
Today’s decision provides significant relief and is essential in halting DOGE's unlawful and dangerous overreach. The court recognized that Musk’s operatives’ unprecedented access to private Social Security data, ranging from immigration records to health and financial information, violated critical privacy protections and would cause irreparable harm.
This decision sends a clear message to Elon Musk and his DOGE minions to keep their hands off Social Security,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. This regime of billionaires is wreaking havoc on the Social Security Administration – rolling out plans to cut services, sowing confusion, disregarding court orders and then denying how their actions will hurt those most vulnerable. We won’t stand for it. Working people spend their entire careers paying into Social Security so they can one day retire with dignity. AFSCME and our partners will keep working to protect that promise for all.
This is an important ruling that upholds our grave concern that millions of Americans have had their private information and retirement security violated by Elon Musk’s illegal actions. It stops, for now, the exploitation of data by an unelected billionaire who wants to weaponize it or use it for his and others’ personal ends. The promise of Social Security is that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can retire with dignity and grace. Elon Musk broke that basic bond of trust and today, the judge agreed that he must be held accountable,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Older Americans can breathe easier knowing that Elon Musk and his DOGE team have been clearly ordered to stay away from their most personal financial and health information,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. We will always fight to ensure that every American after a lifetime of work receives the Social Security benefits they have earned and that their most sensitive information remains protected.
This is a significant relief for the millions of people who depend on the Social Security Administration to safeguard their most personal and sensitive information, said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. The court’s ruling sends a clear message: no one can bypass the law to raid government data systems for their own purposes. We will continue working with our partners to ensure that DOGE’s overreach is permanently stopped and that people’s rights are protected.
The preliminary injunction halts DOGE personnel from accessing SSA data without complying with certain legal requirements while the broader lawsuit moves forward. Plaintiffs argue that DOGE’s access violates the Privacy Act, the Social Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
This decision follows a first-of-its-kind order requiring Musk and DOGE to “disgorge” and “delete” any personal data and highlighting that DOGE affiliates have been concerned that the disclosure of even their names would expose them to harassment and thus invade their privacy. However, DOGE does not appear to share a privacy concern for the millions of people whose SSA records were made available to its affiliates without their consent.
Read the complaint, the motion for temporary restraining order, the motion for preliminary injunction, and today’s ruling.