Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
A data privacy advocacy group and an unnamed federal employee have filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration and the “so-called” Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) of illegally seizing personal records and payment system data from the Treasury Department in what the plaintiffs refer to as “the largest data breach in history.”
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia requested a federal judge issue an order blocking the Elon Musk-led DOGE from accessing databases at Treasury and the Office of Personnel Management [OPM] and requiring the disgorgement or deletion of all information obtained through unlawful means.
“This action arises from the largest and most consequential data breach in U.S. history, currently ongoing at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Office of Personnel Management,” the suit states. “This unprecedented breach of privacy and security implicates the personal information of tens of millions of people, including nearly all federal employees and millions of members of the American public.”
According to the 30-page complaint, the Trump administration has been “deliberately” providing DOGE with illegal access to confidential and protected data which was then used for “legally prohibited purposes.” Accusing the government of “basic security failures,” the plaintiffs allege that personal data of tens of millions of Americans and millions of federal employees — including social security numbers and tax information — have been disclosed as a result.
“DOGE Defendants have exceeded the scope of their legal authority by accessing and controlling OPM and Treasury systems,” the filing states. “These ultra vires actions have resulted in unlawful disclosure of the contents of these systems, violated Plaintiffs’ constitutional right to privacy of information, and endangered the security of the information they contain.”
