### Supreme Court Grants DOGE Team Access to Sensitive Social Security Records

In a pivotal ruling on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) unrestricted access to sensitive Social Security records for millions of Americans. This decision comes after the Trump administration's emergency request to overturn a lower-court order that had blocked DOGE team members from accessing the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) databases. The court's majority did not provide a detailed explanation, but the short unsigned order indicated that the SSA could now give the DOGE team the access needed to perform their duties.

The ruling was met with significant dissent from the court's liberal justices. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in a 10-page dissent, highlighted the severe privacy risks this decision poses to millions of citizens. She rebuked the administration's rationale, noting that its lawyers failed to adequately explain the harm in maintaining the lower-court's restrictions.

Previously, a federal judge in Maryland, Ellen Hollander, had halted the DOGE team’s access, citing violations of the Privacy Act and the potential risk of disclosing sensitive information. Judge Hollander's March ruling emphasized that agency officials had not demonstrated a necessity to include identifying information in their efforts to thwart fraudulent payments.

Despite the concerns, Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the restrictions imposed by Judge Hollander hindered President Donald Trump's ability to eliminate wasteful spending and modernize outdated federal systems. He stressed that the employees focusing on such modernization efforts needed complete access to the systems in order to be effective.

The controversy surrounding DOGE’s access to data is part of a broader struggle that erupted during Trump’s second term. Under the supervision of Elon Musk, the DOGE team faced legal pushbacks across various federal departments, including Treasury, Education, and the Office of Personnel Management.

While Trump and Musk shared a cordial relationship during Musk's tenure as a special government employee, it soured recently due to disagreements over Trump’s budget bill. The fallout resulted in Trump threatening to cut off government contracts to Musk's businesses, and Musk accusing Trump of withholding FBI records.

Many advocacy groups have expressed alarm over the Supreme Court's decision, arguing that it paves the way for the misappropriation of sensitive personal data. They maintain that they will continue to explore all legal avenues to protect Americans' private information as the case progresses.

Among the initiatives led by DOGE staff at Social Security was an investigation into improper payments to deceased individuals. Trump has repeatedly claimed that a significant number of deceased people are still receiving Social Security checks, with Musk echoing these claims on social media.

Despite Musk's departure from Washington, D.C., the repercussions of his involvement with the DOGE team are likely to be felt for a long time, with advocacy groups remaining vigilant and prepared to challenge any further privacy risks posed by the government's access to Social Security data.