The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a coalition of privacy advocates filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
And it’s a big one.
EFF sues Musk over DOGE
The complaint[1] accuses OPM of illegally handing over sensitive personal data (of millions of federal employees, mind you) to DOGE, violating the Privacy Act of 1974.[2]
The EFF argues[3] this is a blatant privacy violation and a serious security risk for federal workers. DOGE allegedly gained access to OPM’s vast database, which holds:
- Union activity details
- Employment histories
- Social Security numbers
- Health and financial records
- Family members’ information
That’s not just highly personal information, it’s a potential security disaster.
Who’s fighting back?
The lawsuit represents the following plaintiffs:
- The Association of Administrative Law Judges.
- Individual federal workers from multiple agencies.
- The American Federation of Government Employees (AFL-CIO).
So no, it’s not just a handful of angry people jealous of Musk, despite what his Musketeers of Misinformation might believe..
It’s a serious, large-scale pushback from unions and employees who believe their private data should stay private.
But what does the law actually say?
The Privacy Act of 1974 essentially makes it illegal for federal agencies to share personal records without consent, unless there’s a clear legal exception.
EFF and its legal team say DOGE has no such exception whatsoever, which means this whole data-sharing deal shouldn’t be happening in the first place.
Is the DOGE privacy violation a big deal?
EFF calls this entire debacle “unprecedented”. It could also set a dangerous precedent.
Think about it: If Elon Musk and DOGE get away with this, what’s stopping future administrations from doing the same? Or worse.
The plaintiffs are demanding:
- Any data already accessed be deleted.
- OPM to immediately stop sharing data with DOGE.
- Strict measures be put in place to prevent this from happening again.
What even is DOGE?
No, it’s not the crypto DOGE, though that is totally a real thing. I invested in a handful of Dogecoins some time back. It’s trading at R4.94 at the time of publishing.
Just an observation, make of it what you will: DOGE seems to surge whenever Elon Musk causes drama. And also when Trump announced the creation of this DOGE in November 2024.
The DOGE currently embroiled in this scandal stands for the Department of Government Efficiency.
It was created during the Trump administration, though its expansion under Musk has made it more controversial.
DISCLAIMER: PERSONAL OPINION: Musk has this weird habit of latching onto certain themes and running with them, doesn’t he?
From his love affair with Doge memes, Dogecoin and now US DOGE, to his relentless push for all things X. Twitter, SpaceX, and even his son’s name
By the way: His son’s name is X Æ A-12, pronounced “X Ash A Twelve“, then later legally changed to X AE A-XII because of California law for special characters. He’s just called “X” for short, I believe.
Once Musk fixates on a concept, he tends to ride it into the ground. Or, at the very least, slap an ‘X’ on it and call it innovation (Or his son). So strange. Much wow.
The idea behind DOGE? Streamline government operations. Apparently.
The reality? DOGE has been controversial from the start.
Critics are calling it a power grab disguised as efficiency. It’s even been referred to as a “massive corporate coup.”
Data sharing and policy
And now, with access to OPM’s records, those concerns are louder than ever. This lawsuit could have huge implications for how federal data is handled in the future.
If EFF wins, it could reshape the rules on government data sharing, and it would seriously limit what DOGE (or any similar agency) can do.
For now? The fight is on.
References:
[1] Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2025, February 11). AFGE v. OPM complaint (SDNY).
[2] US Department of Justice. (n.d.). Privacy Act of 1974. Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties
[3] Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2025, February 12). EFF sues OPM, DOGE, and Musk for endangering the privacy of millions.
