Judge halts OPM data sharing with DOGE amid privacy concerns
Musk-linked DOGE accused of misusing sensitive federal employee data.
A federal judge in New York ordered the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to stop sharing sensitive personal data with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) agents.
The preliminary injunction, issued on 6 June by Judge Denise Cote, cited a strong likelihood that OPM and DOGE violated both the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Administrative Procedures Act.
The lawsuit, led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and several advocacy groups, alleges that OPM unlawfully disclosed information from one of the largest federal employee databases to DOGE, a controversial initiative reportedly linked to billionaire Elon Musk.
The database includes names, social security numbers, health and financial data, union affiliations, and background check records for millions of federal employees, applicants, and retirees.
Union representatives and privacy advocates called the ruling a significant win for data protection and government accountability. AFGE President Everett Kelley criticised the involvement of ‘Musk’s DOGE cronies’, arguing that unelected individuals should not have access to such sensitive material.
The legal action also seeks to delete any data handed over to DOGE. The case comes amid ongoing concerns about federal data security following OPM’s 2015 breach, which compromised information on more than 22 million people.
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