Supreme Court Grants DOGE Access to Social Security Data, Sparking Privacy Debate

In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has greenlit the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to tap into Social Security systems, unlocking a treasure trove of sensitive data. This ruling overturns a Maryland court’s block, which had cited federal privacy laws to restrict DOGE’s access.

The Social Security Administration’s records—think Social Security numbers, medical histories, citizenship details, school records, and tax returns—are now fair game for DOGE’s efficiency crusade. The Court, in an unsigned order, stated, "SSA may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to agency records to do their work."

The decision split along ideological lines, with the six conservative justices backing the move, while Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor dissented. Jackson warned of grave privacy risks, arguing DOGE’s unchecked access could jeopardize millions of Americans’ personal data without clear justification or adherence to privacy safeguards.

This ruling lands amid turbulence for DOGE, following Elon Musk’s exit from its leadership and a public spat with President Donald Trump over the so-called "Big, Beautiful" bill. Despite the drama, both have insisted DOGE’s mission to slash government waste will march on. Musk, no stranger to controversy, once dubbed Social Security a Ponzi scheme, pushing for aggressive reforms.

Maryland’s U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander had previously slammed DOGE’s efforts as a "fishing expedition" rooted in mere suspicion, though she permitted limited access to anonymized data for vetted DOGE staff. An appeals court also hesitated to fully lift the block, with some conservative judges noting no evidence of DOGE engaging in "targeted snooping."

As DOGE navigates its post-Musk era, the Trump administration insists this access is critical to rooting out inefficiencies. Yet, with privacy concerns looming, the debate over balancing efficiency and security is far from over.