Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: More than 70 martyrs in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn.
Death toll from latest Israeli strikes on Gaza rises to 30
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Five killed in the Israeli bombing of a civilian vehicle on Al-Qassam Street in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip
Hamas confirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two civilians were killed and four others, including a child and an infant, were injured in an Israeli bombing of a house belonging to the Al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli airstrike targets the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City
Al-Qassam: We will postpone the handover of the body of the Israeli captive we found, which was scheduled for today, due to the occupation's violations
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Israeli occupation aircraft launch airstrikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
Netanyahu's office: At the end of the security consultations, the prime minister instructed the military to launch massive military strikes on the Gaza Strip immediately
President Aoun: We urge the activation of the monitoring committee, the cessation of hostilities, ongoing Israeli violations, attacks

Court allows Trump's DOGE team to access sensitive US data

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 12 Aug 2025 23:20
4 Min Read

US appeals court lets Trump’s DOGE team access federal data, rejecting privacy concerns from unions and veterans.

Listen
  • x
  • Posters showing the face of Elon Musk and messages relating to data privacy are seen on a fence surrounding a building site in Washington, Friday, March 7, 2025 (AP)
    Posters showing the face of Elon Musk and messages relating to data privacy are seen on a fence surrounding a building site in Washington, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP)

A US appeals court on Tuesday denied a request from a coalition of unions seeking to prevent the Trump administration's government downsizing initiative, referred to as the Department of Government Efficiency, from accessing confidential information about American citizens.

In a 2-1 ruling, the US 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Virginia, stated that the unions were unlikely to succeed in their argument that the Department of Government Efficiency would breach federal privacy laws by obtaining data from the US Department of Education, the Treasury Department, and the Office of Personnel Management.

The court declined to restrict DOGE's access to the agencies' computer systems and sensitive data, including Social Security numbers and citizenship status information, while the case proceeds, overturning a previous temporary injunction imposed by a Maryland federal judge, which the appeals court had already put on hold back in April.

The agencies involved in the case, as well as the unions that filed the lawsuit, including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Federation of Federal Employees, had not yet responded to requests for comment.

On Tuesday, the 4th Circuit stated that the unions and a group of military veterans who filed the lawsuit had failed to demonstrate how they would suffer harm from DOGE's access to agency computer systems, while also noting they likely lacked legal standing to sue since such access does not constitute a "final agency action" that could serve as grounds for litigation.

In dissent, one judge argued that temporarily restricting access to the data would be a reasonable precaution during the ongoing litigation, while also contending that the majority had set an excessively stringent legal standard for the plaintiffs to meet.

Related News

Amnesty: US strike on Yemen prison may constitute war crime

Trump’s weak dollar strategy risks global fallout: Forbes

A track record of infringing on privacy

According to a May 3 report by The New York Times, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to grant members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to confidential records held by the Social Security Administration.

The administration contends that the existing limitations, enforced by a federal district court, are hindering essential modernization initiatives and impeding progress toward eliminating government inefficiencies.

The Solicitor General, D. John Sauer, argued in the emergency filing that this case followed a recurring pattern, a district court had overstepped its legal authority by imposing broad injunctions, causing continuous and irreversible damage to critical federal objectives while obstructing the operations of the executive branch.

Judge Ellen Hollander restricted DOGE's access to Social Security records, permitting only redacted or anonymized data after privacy training and background checks, stating that unwarranted intrusion into Americans' personal data violates public interest and legality, even amid fraud prevention efforts.

According to documents reviewed by The Washington Post in April 2025, personnel from DOGE were provided access to a tightly controlled Justice Department system housing comprehensive data on millions of immigrants, including those with and without legal status.

The database, called the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s Courts and Appeals System (ECAS), stores digital records of individuals in US immigration proceedings, including names, addresses, court testimony, and law enforcement encounters.

Before that, in February, DOGE attempted to obtain entry to a highly confidential Internal Revenue Service (IRS) database containing comprehensive financial records of all American taxpayers, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. This sparked alarm in the tax agency, which considered a memorandum of understanding to grant the Department access to sensitive IRS data that includes personal IDs and bank information.

  • United States
  • department of government efficiency
  • DOGE
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and Egyptian workers search for the bodies of hostages in a tunnel discovered during searches in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' obstructing Gaza body recovery, creating false claims: Hamas

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawwaf Salam talks to US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Lebanon, October 28, 2025 (NNA)
Politics

Salam conveys to Ortagus goals behind any possible negotiations

Writers boycott NYT, demand justice as Gaza media ban faces court
Politics

300+ writers boycott NYT Opinion, cite persistent anti-Palestine bias

Settlers attack West Bank olive harvesters, Injure 3 Palestinians
Politics

Settlers attack West Bank olive harvesters, injure 3 Palestinians

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS