WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Federal court filings have revealed new details about how members of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, may have accessed and shared sensitive Social Security data for political purposes, according to the Justice Department. The disclosure marks the first time the Trump administration has acknowledged in court that DOGE members handled Social Security information without the knowledge of senior Social Security Administration officials. The filing raises serious questions about data security, election interference, and the limits placed on federal employees.
The details appear in a Justice Department filing written by Elizabeth Shapiro, a DOJ official, as part of ongoing legal battles over DOGE’s access to Social Security systems. The filing states that two DOGE members working inside the Social Security Administration may have accessed or prepared to access private Social Security data last year.
According to the filing, a political advocacy group contacted the two DOGE members in March 2025. The group asked them to analyze state voter rolls that the group had already obtained. The group said it wanted to find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states. Shapiro wrote that one DOGE member later signed and sent a “Voter Data Agreement” to the advocacy group. The individual signed the agreement in their role as an SSA employee.
The court filing says the DOGE members may have accessed data that a judge had already ruled off-limits. That data included Social Security numbers and other personal records. Shapiro also stated that the DOGE members may have shared or prepared to share data using unapproved third-party servers. The filing does not name the two DOGE members or the advocacy group. It also states that there is no evidence that other SSA employees knew about the communications or the signed agreement.
“At this time, there is no evidence that SSA employees outside of the involved members of the DOGE Team were aware of the communications with the advocacy group,” Shapiro wrote.
While the filing stops short of confirming that data was actually shared, it points to internal emails. Those messages suggest that DOGE team members could have been asked to help match Social Security data to voter rolls. Such matching efforts raise concerns because voter rolls and Social Security records contain highly sensitive personal information. Privacy experts warn that misuse of this data can expose millions of people to identity theft and political targeting.
The Social Security Administration has referred the two DOGE employees for possible violations of the Hatch Act. The law bars federal workers from using their official roles to influence political activity or election outcomes.
Last year, a federal judge ordered DOGE members to stop accessing SSA systems. Those systems include Social Security numbers, medical records, driver’s license data, tax information, and other private details. The court order followed concerns about DOGE’s role inside federal agencies and the scope of its data access.
The controversy has grown since an SSA whistleblower came forward last year. The whistleblower alleged that DOGE uploaded hundreds of millions of Social Security records to a cloud server with weak security protections.
That claim has not been fully resolved in court. However, it added pressure on the administration to explain how DOGE handled personal data. DOGE operates under the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative tied to Elon Musk that aimed to streamline federal operations. Critics argue the effort blurred the lines between efficient work and political activity.
