PRESS RELEASE: Latest Executive Order Threatens to Shred Federal Privacy Protections, Hoard Personal Data for DOGE Use

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An executive order issued by President Trump on Thursday signals the administration’s intent to further defy federal privacy safeguards, force states to hand over their own sensitive datasets, and potentially make legally protected statistical information available to the Elon Musk-led DOGE for its own ends.

The order, which makes no mention of privacy, would consolidate control over federal databases of personal records to an unprecedented degree and grant the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) sweeping access to nearly every American’s sensitive personal information.

“It’s clear the president and the DOGE think there’s no scrap of Americans’ personal data they shouldn’t have access to, no matter what the law says,” said EPIC Director of Litigation John Davisson. “The only ‘abuse’ here is coming from inside the White House. The president should immediately rescind this executive order.”

The order directs agencies to “take all necessary steps” to ensure that “Federal officials designated by the President . . . have full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, data, software systems, and information technology systems[.]” Agencies are directed to identify regulations and documents—many of which are required by law—that “should be eliminated or modified” for this purpose.

The order further requires agencies “to ensure the Federal Government has unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive Federal funding,” including data that the federal government and the Musk-led DOGE do not currently have access to. This could give the DOGE access to health, social services, and other sensitive data held by states with no connection to supposed “fraud” or “abuse” at federal agencies. 

Agencies must also give the Secretary of Labor and his designees “unfettered access to all unemployment data and related payment records,” which may include personal unemployment insurance data and data that by law can only be used for anonymous statistical purposes (such as survey responses collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Although the order nominally states that agencies should only take actions “consistent with law,” the Elon Musk-led DOGE has already forced agencies to systematically violate the Privacy Act, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, and other Congressionally-enacted data protection safeguards.

EPIC and an anonymous government worker, together with counsel at Democracy Forward, brought suit against the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management last month over prior DOGE database incursions. Other organizations have brought similar cases over DOGE-directed privacy violations across the federal government.

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About EPIC

EPIC (the Electronic Privacy Information Center) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit established in 1994 to protect privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic values in the information age through advocacy, research, and litigation. EPIC has long advocated for robust safeguards to protect Americans’ personal information. EPIC has called for greater  transparency in the government’s data collection and privacy practices and brings lawsuits against government entities that have threatened Americans’ civil liberties.