A federal judge hit the pause button on Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Social Security systems that hold personal info about millions of Americans. The judge called their actions a “fishing expedition,” saying they had no solid reason to be digging through the data.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland ordered that the team delete any personal data they had already gotten. She pointed out that they were given wide access to sensitive Social Security information with just vague suspicions of fraud, calling it an overreach.
However, the ruling still allows DOGE staff to look at data that’s been stripped of personal details, as long as they’ve gone through proper training and background checks.
While rooting out fraud at the Social Security Administration (SSA) is important, Judge Hollander made it clear that it can’t come at the cost of breaking the law.
Legal Setback: DOGE Prevented from Entering Social Security Systems
