Judge Considers Interim Ban on Elon Musk’s DOGE Access to Financial Data of Millions of Americans

A federal judge is considering an immediate block on the Treasury Department's direct sharing of personal financial data of millions of Americans with Elon Musk's DOGE.

Judge's Announcement

US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, based in Washington, DC, made this announcement after a court hearing where a government lawyer mentioned that only two individuals linked to Musk, now Treasury employees, have access to the data. However, this claim was met with skepticism from a lawyer representing three unions involved in a lawsuit against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Concerns Raised

The lawyer, Nandan Joshi, expressed concerns about the compromise of personal information of the association's members and the difficulty in reversing any compromise once it occurs. Joshi highlighted that Treasury officials have not been transparent about the level of access the two Musk allies possess.

Details of Access

The two individuals identified in court as Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause and Marko Elez, who has a background at SpaceX and X, were mentioned to have access to the data. The lawyer emphasized doubts about their ability to manage fraud detection effectively in a system processing billions of payments annually.

Clarifications Provided

During the hearing, the lawyer representing Bessent and the Treasury Department, Bradley P. Humphreys, clarified that only Elez has direct access to the data and reports to Krause. He assured that both individuals are bound by federal ethics and confidentiality requirements.

Legal Challenge

The lawsuit by the Plaintiffs Alliance for Retired Americans, American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, and Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, challenges the Treasury's data-sharing practices with DOGE. They argue that the release of sensitive information violates federal data-privacy laws and IRS regulations.

Privacy Concerns

The unions assert that the scale of privacy intrusion resulting from sharing names and financial details from the Treasury's database is massive and unprecedented. They are seeking an injunction to halt the data sharing with DOGE while the lawsuit progresses.

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By: litaliano@insider.com (Laura Italiano)
Title: Judge Considers Interim Ban on Elon Musk’s DOGE Access to Financial Data of Millions of Americans
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/judge-weighs-ban-musk-doge-accessing-americans-fiscal-data-2025-2
Published Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2025 22:52:14 +0000