By Emmanuel Nduka
US Treasury Department has agreed to an interim ban on sharing sensitive financial data of millions of Americans with Elon Musk’s DOGE.
The decision, made Wednesday night, was later approved by a DC judge on Thursday, imposing strict limits on data access.
Heritage Times HT reports that the temporary agreement ensures that personal financial records will not be directly shared with DOGE’s Department of Government Efficiency.
While no one at DOGE was granted direct access to the data, a Treasury lawyer clarified that two Musk allies—Tom Krause and Marko Elez—currently hold “read-only” access to records managed by the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
The legal battle over data privacy began when a coalition of government unions filed a lawsuit against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The unions argue that the Treasury’s decision to share data with DOGE constitutes a violation of federal privacy laws, exposing Americans’ personal financial information on an unprecedented scale.
In court on Wednesday, a Treasury lawyer emphasized that only Krause and Elez, both now Treasury employees, have access to the sensitive information. However, the unions remain concerned about the long-term risks, stating that even a minor leak of this data could have irreversible consequences.
Their lawsuit seeks to block the sharing of this information while the case proceeds.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who oversees the case, expressed concerns during the hearing and pushed for language that would limit data sharing. She was assured by government lawyers that Musk himself had no access to the data, but skepticism remains among the plaintiffs.
The case continues to unfold, with unions arguing that sharing financial data with DOGE could jeopardize the privacy and security of millions of Americans who interact with the federal government.