LEGAL TEAM Update

End Illegal Data Sharing

Hi Supporter of Digital Freedom,

We will not accept the brazen ransacking of millions of people's sensitive data.

EFF and a coalition of privacy defenders have just filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the private information of millions of Americans that is stored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and to delete any data that has been collected or removed thus far. The lawsuit also names OPM, and asks the court to block OPM from further sharing data with DOGE.

Our case is fairly simple: OPM’s data is extraordinarily sensitive, OPM gave it to DOGE, and this violates the Privacy Act of 1974.

OPM’s records are one of the largest, if not the largest, collections of employee data in the U.S. With our co-counsel Lex Lumina, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and Chandra Law Firm, we represent current and former federal employees whose privacy has been violated.

This massive trove of information includes private demographic data and work histories of essentially all current and former federal employees and contractors as well as federal job applicants. Last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing a critical U.S. Treasury payment system under a similar lawsuit. These violations of data privacy must not stand.

Learn more about our case here:
PRESS RELEASE
BLOGPOST

What’s Next?

The question is not “what happens if this data falls into the wrong hands.” The data has already fallen into the wrong hands, according to the law, and it must be safeguarded immediately. Violations of Americans’ privacy have played out across multiple agencies, without oversight or safeguards, and EFF is glad to join the brigade of lawsuits to protect this critical information.

This is just the beginning of what may be a difficult fight. But EFF is no stranger to tough opponents. With the support of our members, we’ve advocated for technology users’ rights in hundreds of cases to protect your freedom online. I am proud to stand with you for the future of privacy, free speech, and creativity.

For your digital rights,

Corynne McSherry
EFF Legal Director

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