Federal court blocks further data sharing, blasts lack of safeguards

The US federal government's HR department violated the law and bypassed its own cybersecurity safeguards by giving DOGE affiliates access to personnel records, a federal judge ruled Monday, issuing a preliminary injunction to halt further disclosures.

President Donald Trump established the so-called Department of Government Efficiency through an executive order at the start of his administration to trim what he believed was a widescale waste of taxpayer dollars. Initially led by Elon Musk, the group said it planned to trim trillions in spending, but found nowhere near that. Along the way, the group ran rampant through various government agencies, culling staff and accessing government records, and has since faced numerous lawsuits accusing it of various improprieties.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which oversees HR policies and personnel systems for civilian federal employees, granted DOGE affiliates access to sensitive databases, according to a lawsuit filed in February by government ...