ACLU: Expedite FOIA Request of DOGE Activity at Social Security Administration

Originally filed in February in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the FOIA seeks records related to whether the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sought or obtained access to Americans' personally identifiable information, including financial records and health care data. In addition, it seeks material concerning DOGE using AI to analyze government data.

“Today’s filing marks a critical step in uncovering the full extent of DOGE’s access to the U.S. Social Security Administration’s database,” said Michelle Fraling, Skadden Fellow with the ACLU’s Center for Liberty, in a press release. “Recent reports that DOGE intends to consolidate federal data into a centralized system only heighten the need to obtain this information. The public has a right to know, now, who is accessing their Social Security numbers, financial records, and medical history.”

The ACLU recently released a report analyzing the privacy, cybersecurity and surveillance risks, technical issues and legal implications of data consolidation. The report relates to ACLU’s concerns in case 25-01217, which contends that DOGE's access to Americans’ sensitive personal information could result in a data breach or to target political adversaries or to make decisions about funding or other governmental services, the organization said.

"For decades, agencies have been required by federal law to give access to our data only if it was necessary for federal employees to carry out their duties," said Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at ACLU, in the release. "Failure to meet those requirements increases the risk that our data will be mishandled, misused, or exfiltrated in a data breach.”