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US DOGE Department: In a controversial and important decision on Friday, June 6, the US Supreme Court has given access to the data system of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), the former department related to Elon Musk. With this decision, DOGE has got the right to see the personal information of millions of US citizens.
This decision has overturned a previous order of US District Judge Ellen Hollander of Maryland, in which he had restricted DOGE’s access to SSA data. The main concern behind this ban was to maintain the privacy of personally private information. Such as medical records, finance documents and social security benefit information.
Concerns related to data access
DOGE’s appointment in SSA and data access have not only raised questions about security and privacy, but have also created turmoil in political circles. The plaintiff argued that DOGE members have been deployed in a sensitive institution like SSA without adequate investigation and training. The move resulted in SSA’s Acting Commissioner Michelle King resigning from her position in February. She clearly stated that she was refusing to give sensitive SSA data to DOGE. Michelle King, who has served SSA for three decades, has expressed deep concerns about data access.
White House and Trump’s strategy
The Trump administration described this appointment as an anti-fraud initiative. According to White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt, “Many dead people are still receiving fraudulent payments under Social Security.” The Trump administration has tasked DOGE with using SSA data to identify duplicate payments and dead recipients. It was argued that this intervention is necessary to maintain transparency and integrity in the SSA system. The administration believes that SSA has an annual expenditure of about $1.5 trillion and its misuse can have a serious impact on the US economic structure.
Social Security Workers’ Concerns
Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, strongly criticized the decision, saying, “This is a serious privacy violation that cannot be ignored.” She also warned that SSA has extremely sensitive information and if this data goes into the wrong hands, the consequences can be extremely dangerous. SSA has records of all citizens holding social security numbers, Medicare data and details of schemes like Supplemental Security Income. DOGE’s access to this data can give rise to many new debates in the future from a policy and security point of view.
