UC students sue education department over DOGE's access to private financial aid data

A University of California student group filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, accusing it of unlawfully sharing financial aid data with DOGE, a group led by Elon Musk. The lawsuit claims a violation of the 1974 Privacy Act, seeking to stop any unauthorized access to student data. Amid rising tensions about the department's role and funding, especially under the Trump administration, the situation highlights concerns regarding students' privacy and consent in the management of their information.

Aditi Hariharan, president of the UC Student Assn., said in a statement students "did not consent to having our personal information shared with an unelected and noncongressionally approved entity."

The suit by the UC Student Assn. claims that the education department is violating the Privacy Act of 1974, which broadly bars sharing personal information.

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