Court SLAMS Federal Agency for Trying to Snoop on Millions of Americans’ Social Security Data!
A federal appeals court has put its foot down, telling a government agency that protecting Americans’ personal information matters more than bureaucracy. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a little-known agency tasked with improving how the government operates—had asked for broad access to Social Security records, supposedly to catch inefficiencies and fraud. But what it asked for went too far.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a lower court in ruling that DOGE’s request amounted to an unacceptable invasion of privacy. Judge Ellen Hollander, who first blocked the request, was blunt in her assessment: she said DOGE’s plan had “no reasonable boundaries” and would have given the agency an almost limitless window into people’s most sensitive information.
Privacy experts and civil liberties advocates praised the decision, saying it sends a clear message: just because something is possible doesn’t mean it should be allowed. “This wasn’t about catching fraud,” said one advocate. “This was about control—and it would’ve opened the door to massive government overreach.”
DOGE argued that it needed the information to improve systems and eliminate waste, but it failed to explain how gathering millions of records—without consent—would actually help. The court was unmoved.
To make matters worse, there were no guardrails on how the data would be stored, used, or protected. In a world where identity theft and data breaches are already rampant, the idea of a federal agency casually requesting millions of Social Security records sent shivers down spines.
For now, DOGE is barred from accessing the records, and any data already obtained must be deleted.
The ruling is a rare but clear win for everyday Americans in the ever-growing battle over digital privacy. It’s a reminder that, in a time where technology is advancing fast, the laws protecting personal information need to keep up—and that government agencies, no matter how well-intentioned, can’t act without accountability.
Pulkeet Gupta is a dedicated content writer specializing in the field of education and entertainment niche. With a passion for learning and a keen interest in sharing knowledge, Pulkeet has established himself as a prominent figure in the education and entertainment writing community.
