A federal judge on Thursday imposed new restrictions on billionaire Elon Musk맥스카지노�s Department of Government Efficiency, limiting its access to Social Security systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans.U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander issued a preliminary injunction in the case, which was brought by a group of labor unions and retirees who allege DOGE맥스카지노�s recent actions violate privacy laws and present massive information security risks. Hollander had previously issued a temporary restraining order.The injunction does allow DOGE staffers to access data that맥스카지노�s been redacted or stripped of anything personally identifiable, if they undergo training and background checks.During a federal court hearing Tuesday in Baltimore, Hollander repeatedly asked the government맥스카지노�s attorneys why DOGE needs 맥스카지노�seemingly unfettered access맥스카지노� to the agency맥스카지노�s troves of sensitive personal information to uncover Social Security fraud.Union members and retirees gathered outside the courthouse to protest DOGE맥스카지노�s actions, which they consider a threat to the future of Social Security benefits.맥스카지노�What is it we맥스카지노�re doing that needs all of that information?맥스카지노� Hollander said, questioning whether most of the data could be anonymized, at least in the early stages of analysis.Attorneys for the Trump administration said changing the process would slow down their efforts.맥스카지노�While anonymization is possible, it is extremely burdensome,맥스카지노� Justice Department attorney Bradley Humphreys told the court.He argued the DOGE access doesn맥스카지노�t deviate significantly from normal practices inside the agency, where employees and auditors are routinely allowed to search its databases.But attorneys for the plaintiffs called it unprecedented and 맥스카지노�a sea change맥스카지노� in terms of how the agency handles sensitive information, including medical and mental health records and other data pertaining to children and people with disabilities 맥스카지노� 맥스카지노�issues that are not only sensitive but might carry a stigma.맥스카지노�The access alone is a privacy violation that causes harm to Social Security recipients, said Alethea Anne Swift, an attorney with the legal services group Democracy Forward, which is behind the lawsuit.맥스카지노�That intrusion causes an objectively reasonable unease,맥스카지노� she said.The Social Security Administration has experienced turmoil since President Donald Trump began his second term. In February, the agency맥스카지노�s acting commissioner Michelle King stepped down from her role after refusing to provide DOGE staffers with the access they wanted.The White House replaced her with Leland Dudek 맥스카지노� who failed to appear at Tuesday맥스카지노�s hearing after Hollander requested his presence to testify about recent efforts involving DOGE. The judge issued a letter last month rebuking Dudek맥스카지노�s threats that he might have to shut down agency operations or suspend payments because of Hollander맥스카지노�s temporary restraining order.She said the order 맥스카지노�has no bearing on ordinary operations at SSA,맥스카지노� only employees working on the DOGE agenda.In recent weeks, Dudek has faced calls to resign after he issued an order that would have required Maine parents to register their newborns for Social Security numbers at a federal office rather than the hospital. The order was quickly rescinded. But emails showed it was political payback to Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who has defied the Trump administration맥스카지노�s push to deny federal funding to the state over transgender athletes.Despite the fraught political context surrounding the DOGE access case, Hollander admonished Humphreys when he suggested during Tuesday맥스카지노�s hearing that her questioning was starting to 맥스카지노�feel like a policy disagreement.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�I do take offense at your comment because I맥스카지노�m just trying to understand the system,맥스카지노� the judge said.Hollander, 75, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama, is the latest judge to consider a DOGE-related case.Many of her inquiries Tuesday focused on whether the Social Security case differs significantly from another Maryland case challenging DOGE맥스카지노�s access to data at three other agencies: the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management. In that case, an appeals court recently blocked a preliminary injunction and cleared the way for DOGE to once again access people맥스카지노�s private data.Hollander맥스카지노�s injunction could also be appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which sided with the Trump administration in other cases, including allowing DOGE access to the U.S. Agency for International Development and letting executive orders against diversity, equity and inclusion move forward.