A federal judge has halted the White House DOGE office's access to Social Security Administration records, siding with labor groups that argued this access infringed on Americans' privacy. The judge highlighted the sensitive nature of the records, consisting of personal information like Social Security numbers and medical data. The ruling emphasized the absence of a defined necessity for DOGE's request, stating it represented an invasive fishing expedition rather than a structured investigation into fraud. This decision reflects serious concerns regarding individual privacy rights against government overreach.
Ironically, the identity of these DOGE affiliates has been concealed because defendants are concerned that the disclosure of even their names would expose them to harassment and thus invade their privacy. The defense does not appear to share a privacy concern for the millions of Americans whose SSA records were made available to the DOGE affiliates, without their consent, and which contain sensitive, confidential, and personally identifiable information.
Hollander wrote that DOGE was "engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA" and looking for fraud "based on little more than suspicion." She said the government has not explained why DOGE needed unlimited access to SSA's records or why a more measured approach would not work.
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