Judge finds OPM illegally shared federal employee data with Musk's DOGE unit
A federal judge ruled that the Office of Personnel Management violated the Privacy Act by giving Elon Musk-led DOGE access to personal data of millions of federal workers.
In a 39-page opinion, Judge Denise Cote determined that the Office of Personnel Management illegally disclosed personal data of tens of millions of federal employees, applicants and retirees to the Department of Government Efficiency, a body created by Elon Musk. The judge said OPM violated the Privacy Act of 1974 and ignored its cybersecurity protocols, providing no credible reason for the data transfer. Government lawyers offered only a weak argument that the case was moot, which the judge rejected.
While the DOJ claimed DOGE needed the information for workforce modernization, previous initiatives never required such access. The decision comes after a coalition of unions, including the AFL-CIO, sued over DOGE’s data practices, and experts warned of heightened cybersecurity risks.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights serious privacy and security concerns over government data sharing with private-sector advisors.
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