DOGE’s access is now limited when it comes to Social Security systems that contain personal data on citizens across the nation, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Thursday, noting that Hollander issued a preliminary injunction in the case after issuing a temporary restraining order.
The case was brought by several labor unions and retired individuals who claim DOGE has violated privacy laws and its work has resulted in a risk to security.
In her ruling, Hollander said the objective to uncover government waste and fraud is “laudable” and Americans support that work because they have a right to ensure their money is not squandered.
Hollander noted the issue is with how DOGE performs its task, writing that, “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.”
Hollander asked during a hearing on Tuesday why DOGE needed broad access to the large amount of the SSA’s personal information to uncover fraud, the AP article continued:
“While anonymization is possible, it is extremely burdensome,” Justice Department attorney Bradley Humphreys told the court.
He argued the DOGE access doesn’t deviate significantly from normal practices inside the agency, where employees and auditors are routinely allowed to search its databases.
DOGE workers who want to be able to access the anonymized information must undergo SSA training and background checks, per Hollander.
The news comes as DOGE recently said it has saved American taxpayers $150 billion, according to Breitbart News:
The DOGE website makes it clear that the $150 billion in savings is a “combination of asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions.” While it is working to upload all of the receipts, it continues to display subsets of terminated grants, contracts, and more, representing “~30% of total savings.”
A survey from the Economist/YouGov found that more Americans view DOGE favorably that unfavorably, Breitbart News reported in February. Musk has also said DOGE plans to look into the reasons why so many members of Congress get rich so quickly.
Breitbart News
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