Trump administration in hot water over alleged privacy violations

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The Trump administration is accused of violating federal privacy laws by granting Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) workers unauthorized access to sensitive government employee records. 

According to a lawsuit filed by labor unions and privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) allowed DOGE staffers to access the personal records of millions of federal employees, contractors and job applicants. 

This data includes background check details, health records, and information on workers in highly sensitive roles, such as CIA employees whose government affiliation must remain classified.

Trump administration is accused of privacy violation in a lawsuit 

The complainants argue that DOGE lacked legal or legitimate reasons to access OPM’s databases. They claim that some DOGE staffers accessed this information before even being officially employed by the government, putting workers’ data at significant risk. 

The lawsuit demands an immediate suspension of DOGE’s access, the destruction of any unlawfully obtained data, and a prohibition against its use.

The administration maintains that DOGE staffers legally accessed the information and held the necessary security clearances, though details of those clearances remain unclear. 

Critics argue that DOGE employees, an inexperienced group, could not have passed the rigorous security clearance process within Trump’s short tenure in office. 

The lawsuit also contends that exceptions to the Privacy Act—such as law enforcement-related exemptions—do not apply in this case.

Experts warn that expanding access to OPM’s databases increases the risk of another security breach, similar to the 2014 hack that compromised data on over 20 million people. 

The data could be used to target American voters

The plaintiffs fear that information accessed by DOGE could be used to target government employees, particularly in light of Trump’s history of threatening firings and implementing policies aimed at removing workers based on political loyalty or gender identity.

The White House insists it will prevail in court, asserting Trump has executive authority to manage federal agencies. 

However, this lawsuit is part of a more significant legal battle over DOGE’s efforts to undermine federal institutions. Additional cases challenge its access to Treasury Department systems and its push to dismantle USAID. 

What are your thoughts on this alleged privacy breach? Do federal employees deserve stronger data protection, or should executive agencies have broader access to personnel records?