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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Technology
Guardian staff and agencies

Judge blocks Elon Musk’s Doge from accessing social security records

a person holds a sign that reads 'hands off our social security'
People protest against the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s so-called ‘department of government efficiency’ in New York on Thursday. Photograph: Gina M Randazzo/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

A federal judge on Thursday blocked Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) from accessing social security records as part of its hunt under Donald Trump for fraud and waste, calling the effort a “fishing expedition”.

Judge Ellen Hollander granted a temporary restraining order that prevents Social Security Administration (SSA) workers from allowing Doge to have access to records that contain personally identifiable information.

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