Take Care LedgerA dated, sourced record of the second Trump administration

Federal Data Sharing and Surveillance

Updated2026-11-09 Covers2025-01-20 to 2026-11-06

Summary

Since early 2025 the administration has combined records that agencies used to keep apart. They include tax, Social Security, Medicaid, child-support, passport and voter files. The records now sit in shared systems, many built by the company Palantir. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uses them to find people to deport. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) got access to many of the databases. ICE also began searching license-plate records without warrants and scanning faces in the field.1,2,3 The White House also removed the three Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), a board that oversees surveillance. That left the board without a quorum, the number of members it needs to act.4 Courts have blocked some uses, such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sharing addresses with ICE.5 Courts have allowed others. These include DOGE access to Social Security data, citizenship checks of voter rolls and the sharing of basic Medicaid data.1,39,21

Background

The Privacy Act of 197448 limits how agencies share records. It also requires a public notice for each new use.6 A federal tax law (26 U.S.C. § 6103)49 keeps tax returns and tax information private. They may be shared only as that law allows.7 Another law (42 U.S.C. § 653)50 covers the Federal Parent Locator Service, a child-support database. The law allows its use only for listed purposes. Immigration enforcement is not one of them.8 Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)51 lets the government collect foreign communications. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can search that material for Americans’ data.9 PCLOB reviewed those searches.4

What happened

DOGE access to Treasury, NLRB and OPM systems

On Jan 20, 2025 Executive Order 14158 renamed the U.S. Digital Service the “U.S. DOGE Service,” and required each agency to set up a DOGE team of at least four employees. An executive order is a written order from the President to the agencies he runs. It told agency heads to make sure the service “has full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems.” They were to do so “to the maximum extent consistent with law,” the order said.45 On Feb 8, Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled in a suit brought by 19 state attorneys general (New York v. Trump)69. He barred political appointees, special government employees (part-time advisers) and workers on loan from outside, including DOGE staff, from Treasury records with personal or financial data. He also ordered downloaded data destroyed.11 Vice President Vance responded that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”11 Treasury had said DOGE’s access was read-only, meaning DOGE could look at data but not change it. But a Treasury official’s sworn statement, reported in mid-February, said DOGE engineer Marko Elez had been “mistakenly” given read/write permissions instead. A Mar 14 court filing showed he had emailed an unencrypted spreadsheet of personal data to two General Services Administration (GSA) officials. That went against Treasury policy.12 The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is Congress’s auditing arm. It later found (Apr 28, 2026) that a Treasury payment system had been “inadvertently” set to read/write for two days. No data was changed. It also found that a Treasury DOGE employee had emailed U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) payment data on more than 350 people to GSA’s DOGE team. Treasury called the disclosure “low risk.”68 On Sept 23, 2026 Judge Jeannette Vargas dismissed the states’ suit, New York v. Trump. She held the access claims moot, meaning they no longer mattered, because Treasury’s DOGE team had broken up. She dismissed the claims about Treasury’s automated payment-review system because they did not state a valid legal claim.69,98

On Apr 15, 2025, NPR reported a disclosure by Daniel Berulis, an IT staffer at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). He said DOGE engineers had demanded unrestricted access to the board’s systems. Musk’s SpaceX had cases pending at the board. He said about 10 GB of data appeared to leave. The NLRB said no breach occurred. GAO later found (Apr 28, 2026) that the two GSA workers on loan to the NLRB’s DOGE team had access to two of seven personnel (HR) systems. From Apr 16 to Jul 25, 2025, they logged no sign-ins. GAO left the earlier period to the NLRB’s inspector general, an independent watchdog inside the agency, who is investigating it.70,93 Unions including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) sued the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). On June 9, 2025, Judge Denise Cote (S.D.N.Y.) issued a preliminary injunction, a court order that stops something until the case is decided. It barred OPM from sharing federal employees’ personnel records with DOGE-linked staff. On Oct 20, 2026 she ruled for the unions without a trial (summary judgment). She found that OPM had broken the Privacy Act by giving those staff broad access to millions of employees’ records “without a demonstrated need.” She found OPM had also failed to keep required safeguards. She held that changes the government made on its own did not make the case moot.46 EPIC v. OPM is a separate Privacy Act suit over DOGE access to OPM and Treasury data. On Jul 30, 2026, Judge Rossie Alston Jr. (E.D. Va.) refused the government’s request to dismiss it. The case moved to discovery, the stage where each side gathers evidence.72 On Sept 29, 2026 GAO reported that six agencies had withheld information on DOGE’s system access. At four agencies, DOGE teams could reach more than 23 systems holding personal information. But the “extent and level of access … could not be determined.”73

Social Security data

On Feb 16–17, 2025 Acting Social Security Commissioner Michelle King left after she refused to give DOGE access to beneficiary data.13 Her replacement was Leland Dudek. Social Security Administration (SSA) leaders had earlier put him on leave for sharing information with DOGE without permission.14 A lower court had blocked DOGE’s access in a challenge under the Privacy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA),52 the law that sets the rules agencies must follow. On June 6, 2025, in SSA v. AFSCME,54 the Supreme Court paused that preliminary injunction in a 6–3 emergency order. That let DOGE staff have full access to Social Security databases.1 In late August SSA’s chief data officer, Charles Borges, filed a whistleblower complaint. It alleged DOGE staff had copied the records of more than 300 million Americans to a vulnerable cloud server. Three days later he resigned. He called his resignation “involuntary.”100

On Jan 16, 2026 the Department of Justice (DOJ) corrected sworn testimony from 2025, given by SSA officials. DOJ said DOGE staff had shared data on outside servers. It said SSA “cannot determine what data was shared,” and it said two staffers had talked with a political advocacy group. They discussed matching Social Security data to state voter rolls to “find evidence of voter fraud and to overturn election results in certain States.”24 On Mar 6–11 SSA’s inspector general opened a review of a whistleblower complaint. The complaint said a former DOGE engineer kept SSA’s core identity file (NUMIDENT) on a thumb drive. SSA called the claims “strongly refuted,” and the engineer denies them.25 On Apr 10, 2026 the full Fourth Circuit appeals court (en banc) cancelled the injunction in AFSCME v. SSA by a 9–6 vote. It found the challengers had not shown irreparable harm, meaning harm that cannot be undone later. It did not consider SSA’s corrections.71 On Apr 14, Judge Ellen Hollander (D. Md.) let the plaintiffs gather evidence (discovery). SSA asked her to take back that order, saying it was “improvidently granted.” On May 1, SSA also asked her to dismiss the suit.91,96 On Jun 26 Hollander refused to take back the order, so discovery stayed open. She held the case was not moot. She cited the government’s admission that it “provided inaccurate information to the district court.”71,97 On June 5 former SSA executive Jeremiah Schofield made a protected whistleblower disclosure. He alleged that DOGE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked SSA to falsely mark 2.7 million living people as dead so they would “self-deport”. SSA said it “did not add a list of 2.7 million names to the Death Master File.”26

Tax, Medicaid and child-support records for immigration enforcement

On Mar 20, 2025 an executive order told agencies to share data with each other.15 In early April ICE gave Palantir a $30 million contract for “ImmigrationOS,” paid for through its existing no-bid case-management deal. According to the American Immigration Council, Palantir’s systems pull from IRS, Social Security, passport and license-plate data.16 The IRS and ICE also reached a data agreement in early April. After it was made public, acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause announced plans to resign.17 An analysis reported by Reason projected about $300 billion in lost tax revenue over a decade.17 On Apr 25 CNN reported that DOGE was building a master immigration database.19 On June 17, 2025 Sen. Wyden, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and eight other lawmakers wrote to Palantir. They said a planned IRS “mega-database” would be “a surveillance nightmare.” They said it likely broke the Privacy Act and § 6103.7 On Nov 21, 2025 Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked the IRS from giving ICE taxpayer addresses. By then, about 47,000 records had been sent of 1.28 million requested. On Sept 8, 2026 a D.C. Circuit appeals panel unanimously upheld that preliminary injunction.5 On Feb 26, 2026 she found the IRS had broken the tax code about 42,695 times. It had given out addresses without confirming that ICE had supplied the taxpayer’s address. She found § 6103 requires that check.18 By Apr 24, 2026 the IRS had paid Palantir more than $130 million to combine tax, bank and financial-crimes data.22 Peter Thiel co-founded Palantir. The company builds ICE’s and the IRS’s data systems. It also holds an Army agreement worth up to $10 billion.16,22,36

In mid-June 2025 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) gave DHS and ICE the names, addresses and immigration status of people on Medicaid. California and 19 other states sued. They cited the Privacy Act and protections like those in HIPAA53, the federal health-privacy law.20 Judge Vince Chhabria blocked the sharing in August 2025. On Dec 29, 2025 he narrowed the block. CMS could now share basic biographical, location and contact data on people in the country unlawfully. He rejected the states’ HIPAA and Privacy Act claims, while calling the policy “totally unclear.”21,85 CMS restarted sharing within those limits on Jan 5, 2026.21,86 On Mar 11, 2026 ProPublica reported that DHS had sought unrestricted access to the Federal Parent Locator Service. Six current and former officials told ProPublica that sharing it would break the law that limits the database’s uses.8

Field surveillance and online subpoenas

In late May 2025 the news site 404 Media reported that ICE was searching Flock Safety’s national network of AI license-plate cameras. It did so through lookups that local police ran as a “favor”.2 In late June 404 Media reported on Mobile Fortify, an app that checks faces and fingerprints against federal databases. Reveal reported that faces are checked against a database of 200 million images.3 Rep. Bennie Thompson said ICE officials told House Homeland Security Democrats that a match is a “definitive” finding of status. He said they told the Democrats an officer may ignore evidence of citizenship, including a birth certificate. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) testimony reported Jan 19, 2026 showed the app had returned two different, wrong names for a detained woman in Oregon.27,87

On Feb 13, 2026 the New York Times reported that DHS had sent hundreds of administrative subpoenas to Google, Meta, Reddit and Discord. A subpoena is a legal order to hand over documents. DHS issues these without a judge’s approval. They sought names, email addresses and phone numbers tied to anonymous accounts that criticized ICE or posted agents’ locations.28 On Feb 23, 2026 observers in Maine filed a federal class action, a lawsuit on behalf of a whole group (Hilton v. Noem). They sued DHS, Secretary Kristi Noem and DHS sub-agencies. They allege that agents scanned their faces and license plates. They say agents told them they had been logged in a “database” as “domestic terrorists”. One plaintiff recorded an agent saying, “Cause we have a nice little database… And now you’re considered a domestic terrorist.” “There is NO database of ‘domestic terrorists’ run by DHS,” DHS said. “there is no database that’s tracking United States citizens,” Lyons told Congress. Border adviser Tom Homan had said he wanted a database of people who get in the way of ICE.80 On Mar 23 Judge John Woodcock (D. Me.) refused to issue a temporary restraining order, a short-term order that stops something while a judge looks at the case. He cited “the dearth of evidence at this stage,” meaning there was little evidence so far. At a Mar 16 hearing, a DOJ lawyer had said the agents who threatened plaintiff Elinor Hilton were reprimanded. The lawyer also said biometric data “may be on a phone somewhere,” and the case then moved to discovery.89 The suit, amended Apr 27, asks the court to bar the collection and erase the records.80 Records unsealed in early October 2026 showed that a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officer in Boston had added eight Maine residents to a DHS database in January. The plaintiffs say six of them were observers. The plaintiffs say CBP held one of them on a trip home from Quebec because of the listing. They asked the court to stop agents from punishing observers through database threats and similar tactics. DHS denies wrongdoing and denies running a database of domestic terrorists.107

On Nov 6, 2026 Judge Lewis A. Kaplan (S.D.N.Y.) ordered New York City to obey an ICE administrative subpoena. It asks for the names and birth dates of residents of a Bronx homeless shelter who have “certain serious criminal histories.” The city called the request an “improper fishing expedition” meant to undercut its sanctuary laws. Kaplan found the city “has not shown that producing this list would be unduly burdensome.” He called the claim of a political motive guesswork. A federal law lets immigration officers issue subpoenas for records relevant to enforcing immigration law (8 U.S.C. § 1225(d)(4)).103

Voter data

Voter data was added to the same systems. On June 29, 2025 NPR reported that DHS had rebuilt its SAVE immigration-status database. It became a citizenship checker for voter rolls, linked to Social Security records. DHS did not publish a Privacy Act notice for the new use.6 DOJ demanded voter rolls, including Social Security numbers, from at least 48 states and DC. It eventually sued 30 states and DC (29 states and DC as of Feb 26, 2026; total through fall 2026).29 Courts that dismissed those suits held that federal election laws did not allow the demands. In Rhode Island (Apr 17, 2026), the court held that the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)55 and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)56 did not allow them. In Arizona (Apr 28, 2026), the court held the same about Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 196057. That law lets the Attorney General demand certain election records.29,30,82,92 In April 2026 DHS sent administrative subpoenas to Texas counties, among them Brazos and Montgomery. They asked for individual voters’ registration applications, signatures and voting history, without naming specific voters. DHS told Lubbock County that “all 254 counties will be contacted”. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The reporting did not say which law DHS used for the subpoenas.81 On Jun 24, 2026 the Sixth Circuit gave the first appeals-court ruling, in United States v. Benson. By a 2–1 vote, it upheld Chief Judge Hala Jarbou’s Feb 10, 2026 dismissal of the Michigan suit.88 It held that a voter file the state itself creates is not a record DOJ can demand under Title III. It also rejected an opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), the Justice Department office that gives the executive branch legal opinions. That opinion was issued the day before the court heard arguments.74 On Aug 14 the Sixth Circuit refused DOJ’s request to rehear the case. A Supreme Court petition would be due Nov 12, 2026 under the Court’s normal rules.106

By summer 2026, DOJ was passing that data to DHS for immigration enforcement through Palantir’s ELITE app. That is according to letters cited by the Brennan Center.30 At least 16 states gave DOJ complete lists with driver’s-license or Social Security data (Brennan Center, Oct 26, 2026).75 On Mar 26, 2026, DOJ’s acting Voting Section chief told a Rhode Island federal court that the data would be run “against DHS’S SAVE” database.90 On Sept 10, 2026 DOJ sent letters to the 30 states it was suing, telling them to keep records for the lawsuits. The letters warned that failing to keep records “may constitute spoliation of evidence,” with civil and criminal penalties. Spoliation means destroying evidence. On Oct 23, a court in Utah dismissed DOJ’s suit. Judge David Barlow held that Title III does not reach a database the state itself maintains. It was DOJ’s 27th straight district-court loss.76,99 On Oct 30 DOJ appealed three of its losses, in Georgia, Vermont and Washington. A University of Wisconsin–Madison tracker counts 27 of DOJ’s 31 suits dismissed on the merits and none decided in DOJ’s favor.105 On Sept 22 DOJ filed a status report in DSCC v. Trump,58 a suit by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. It said the State Department would publish a Privacy Act notice so it could share passport-applicant data for “voter eligibility” checks.31 The notice was published on Oct 23. It lists “voter eligibility” as a purpose of the passport records system. It would let the records be shared with government agencies and nonprofit groups that use federal checking platforms. The Privacy Act limits sharing of federal records about people unless a published “routine use” allows it. Comments are due Nov 23, 2026, and the new routine uses take effect that day unless they are changed.104 On Oct 7, documents were released under the Freedom of Information Act,67 the law that lets the public request government records. They showed ICE had gathered about 100 million voter records. They also showed ICE had looked into hundreds of voter-registration groups.32 On Oct 9 Judge Sparkle Sooknanan (D.D.C.) cancelled DOJ’s “Voter List Maintenance Policy,” which DOJ had used to demand state voter rolls and run them through SAVE. In Common Cause v. DOJ59 she held that the policy went beyond the power Congress gave DOJ. She held it was “arbitrary and capricious,” meaning not reasonably explained. She also held it broke the Privacy Act and the Paperwork Reduction Act60, a law that controls how agencies collect information from the public. She wrote that “Congress has left that authority where our Constitution has always placed it: with the states.”47 On Nov 2 she refused DOJ’s request to pause her ruling while it appeals.102

PCLOB and FISA Section 702

On Jan 27, 2025 the White House removed PCLOB’s three Democratic members. That left the board without a quorum.4 In May Judge Reggie Walton ruled the removals unlawful and ordered two members put back. The D.C. Circuit appeals court paused his order.10,41 On Oct 10, 2025 Reason reported on an FBI request from 2023. In its Arctic Frost investigation, the FBI had asked for phone toll records of eight Republican senators and Rep. Mike Kelly. Toll records show which numbers were called and when. Reason cited Section 702 only as background.33 FBI Section 702 searches rose about 34%. From Dec 2024 to Nov 2025 there were 7,413 searches. In the period before, there were 5,518.9 In 2024, Trump had posted “KILL FISA”. On Mar 27, 2026 he backed renewing the law.9

On Apr 29 the House voted 235–191 to renew the program for three years. The bill also carried a ban on a central-bank digital currency. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate would not pass it with that add-on. He expected a short-term extension instead. On Apr 30 Congress passed a 45-day extension. The Senate agreed by unanimous consent, and the House vote was 261–111. This came after Sens. Tom Cotton and Mark Warner promised that a secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinion would be declassified, or made public, “within 15 days.” The opinion was dated Mar 17, 2026.83,94,95 In June, Trump named Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Democrats then said they would not renew Section 702 while Pulte held the post. Republican Sens. Cornyn, Cassidy and Tillis also objected to the appointment.34 On Jun 11 the House voted 198–218, defeating a short extension.101 The authority expired at midnight Jun 12, 2026.35

Key dates

Why it matters

Statutory purpose limits (Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a; 26 U.S.C. § 6103; 42 U.S.C. § 653). The Privacy Act of 1974, 26 U.S.C. § 6103 and 42 U.S.C. § 653 each limit the reasons agencies may give out the records they hold.6,7,8 In the IRS, Medicaid, Social Security and Treasury cases, the legal question is whether each transfer is an allowed use. Courts have reached different results. Judge Kollar-Kotelly found the IRS broke § 6103 about 42,695 times (Feb 26, 2026).18 Judge Chhabria rejected the states’ Privacy Act and HIPAA claims over Medicaid data (Dec 29, 2025).21 The Supreme Court paused the order against DOGE’s Social Security access (June 6, 2025).1 It also paused a June 2026 ruling that the SAVE changes broke federal privacy law (Sept 25, 2026). Its majority said the federal government “has an obligation to respond to requests from state and local election officials,” and Justice Jackson disagreed. In her dissent, she noted a plaintiff whose registration was cancelled without her knowledge.39 The record here does not show the legal basis the administration has given for the IRS–ICE agreement, the Medicaid transfer or the Palantir systems. At least 12 federal suits claiming that DOGE’s data access broke the Privacy Act had been filed by April 2026.38

GAO access (31 U.S.C. § 71677). This law lets the Comptroller General, who heads GAO, “obtain such agency records as the Comptroller General requires.” The Sept 29, 2026 report raises a question: how is that right enforced when agencies say no? The Education Department held back some answers, citing pending lawsuits. The top lawyer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said GAO lacked the “necessary statutory authority.” GAO said concerns about lawsuits “do not alter or diminish GAO’s statutory right to the requested information.”73

Federal election statutes (NVRA; HAVA; Civil Rights Act of 1960, Title III; 18 U.S.C. § 611; 8 U.S.C. § 1225(d)(4)). DOJ’s voter-file demands raise a question. What do the NVRA, HAVA and Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 let the federal government collect from states? Twenty-seven of the suits have been dismissed. The Rhode Island and Arizona courts held that those laws did not allow the demands. The Sixth Circuit upheld the Michigan dismissal under Title III.29,30,92,74,88 On Nov 2, 2026 Judge Tanya Chutkan (League of Women Voters v. DHS) ordered the administration to stop sending lists of alleged noncitizens to election officials. She found that a federal law on voting by noncitizens (18 U.S.C. § 611)79 does not allow sending such lists. She also found the policy likely breaks the Privacy Act. That is because no public notice describing the records system had been published.78 DHS’s power to issue its own subpoenas comes from 8 U.S.C. § 1225(d)(4).84 It covers matters about a person’s right to enter or live in the United States and the enforcement of immigration laws. No court has ruled on whether it reaches county voter files, such as those sought in Texas.81 The Supreme Court turned down DOJ’s request to set aside about 20,000 California ballots. DOJ had argued that once ballots were mixed together “there is no way to get the challenged ballots back.”40

Fourth Amendment.61 The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution bars unreasonable searches and seizures. The legal question is about two practices. One is searching private license-plate camera data without a warrant. The other is scanning people’s faces or fingerprints on the street without suspecting them of anything. Do these require a warrant or a specific reason to suspect the person? Sens. Markey, Wyden and Merkley asked ICE to stop using Mobile Fortify. According to Rep. Bennie Thompson, ICE told committee Democrats that a match is “definitive.”27,44 No court in the record has ruled on Mobile Fortify or on ICE’s Flock searches.

First Amendment.62 The First Amendment protects free speech. DHS’s subpoenas raise a question. Can an agency use its own subpoenas, issued without a judge’s review, to identify people who criticize it anonymously? DHS withdrew at least five after account owners sued. Google, Meta and Reddit reportedly answered some.42 The Maine observers’ suit claims First Amendment retaliation, meaning punishment for protected activity. It also claims the government discouraged (“chilled”) the observers from recording agents.80 On Mar 23, 2026, Judge Woodcock denied a temporary restraining order. He said he “cannot evaluate either parties’ likelihood of success on the merits.”89 The record here does not show the legal power DHS says it used for the subpoenas.

Removal protection for PCLOB (Art. II; Trump v. Slaughter). Judge Walton held the PCLOB removals unlawful in May 2025. The D.C. Circuit paused his order. It held off on the appeal until the Supreme Court decided Trump v. Slaughter (2026)63. That ruling overruled Humphrey’s Executor (1935)64, an older case that let Congress protect some agency officials from being fired except for cause. On Aug 5, 2026 the D.C. Circuit set a fast schedule in LeBlanc v. PCLOB65.10,41 The record here does not show the legal basis the administration has given for the removals.

FISA Section 702 (50 U.S.C. § 1881a). Section 702 expired on Jun 12, 2026, after the House voted 198–218 against an extension.101,35 The FBI shut down its Office of Internal Auditing in May 2025. That office checked whether the FBI followed surveillance rules.37

Outcome

Where things stand

As of Nov 8, 2026, DOGE’s access to Social Security data continues under the Supreme Court’s pause. The Social Security and OPM cases and other suits over DOGE’s data access are in discovery or still pending.1,71,72,38 SSA has said it cannot determine what data DOGE staff shared. Two staffers were referred for possible violations of the Hatch Act,66 a law that limits political activity by federal employees on the job. No penalties appear in the record.24 On voter data, DOJ has lost 27 of its voter-roll suits (against 30 states and DC). DOJ has appealed several of those losses, including Georgia, Vermont and Washington.105 Its Voter List Maintenance Policy has been cancelled. ICE holds about 100 million voter records. SAVE citizenship checks continue under the Supreme Court’s Sept 25 pause.30,74,99,47,32,39 Section 702 expired Jun 12, 2026 and had not been renewed as of Nov 8.35 The State Department published its notice on passport data for voter checks on Oct 23. The new sharing rules take effect Nov 23 unless changed.104 On Nov 6 a federal judge ordered New York City to give ICE the names of some Bronx shelter residents.103

Since Jan 5, 2026, CMS may give ICE only basic biographical and contact data, not medical data. This covers people in the country unlawfully in the states that sued.21,85,86 The record does not show whether DHS has gotten Parent Locator data. It also contains no decision in the PCLOB appeal.

Status

Item Status Latest development (date) What would change it
DOGE access to Social Security data In force The full Fourth Circuit cancelled the injunction (Apr 10, 2026); Judge Hollander held the case not moot (Jun 26, 2026)1,71,97 Judge Hollander’s rulings after discovery (D. Md.)
SSA testimony corrections Unresolved Two staffers referred for possible Hatch Act violations (Jan 2026); no penalties in the record24 —
Palantir systems (IRS, ICE) Pending (at least 12 Privacy Act suits filed over DOGE’s data access) IRS payments passed $130 million by Apr 202622,38 Rulings in those suits
IRS–ICE address sharing Blocked (Judge Kollar-Kotelly, D.D.C.) Blocked Nov 21, 2025 after about 47,000 records went out; ~42,695 violations found (Feb 26, 2026); D.C. Circuit upheld the order (Sept 8, 2026)5,18 Final judgment
Medicaid data to ICE In force (basic data only in the states that sued) Block narrowed Dec 29, 2025; sharing restarted Jan 5, 202621,85,86 —
SAVE citizenship checks In force Supreme Court paused the June 2026 ruling against them (Sept 25, 2026)39 Further appeals
DOJ voter-roll suits Blocked (27 dismissals; United States v. Benson, 6th Cir.) Utah dismissal, 27th straight loss (Oct 23, 2026); rehearing denied in Benson (Aug 14); Georgia, Vermont and Washington dismissals appealed (Oct 30)76,99,74,106,105 Rulings in the remaining suits and appeals; a Supreme Court petition in Benson (due Nov 12, 2026)106
DOJ Voter List Maintenance Policy Blocked (Common Cause v. DOJ, D.D.C.) Cancelled Oct 9, 2026; request to pause that ruling during appeal denied Nov 247,102 DOJ’s appeal
Noncitizen lists to election officials Blocked (League of Women Voters v. DHS, Judge Chutkan) Ordered stopped (Nov 2, 2026)78 —
California ballot segregation Blocked (Supreme Court denied DOJ’s request) About 20,000 ballots (Nov 2, 2026)40 —
ICE voter records Unresolved About 100 million records gathered (FOIA release Oct 7, 2026)32 —
Passport data for voter checks Pending (State Department Privacy Act notice; comments due Nov 23, 2026) Notice published (Oct 23, 2026), after DOJ’s status report in DSCC v. Trump (Sept 22)31,104 New routine uses take effect Nov 23 unless revised104
ICE subpoena for Bronx shelter residents In force (Judge Kaplan, S.D.N.Y.) New York City ordered to comply; city’s plan due in two weeks (Nov 6, 2026)103 —
Texas county voter-file subpoenas Unresolved No court ruling on whether § 1225(d)(4) reaches these files (Apr 2026)81 —
OPM personnel records Blocked (Judge Cote, S.D.N.Y.) Ruling for the unions without a trial (Oct 20, 2026)46 —
EPIC v. OPM Pending (E.D. Va., discovery) Request to dismiss denied (Jul 30, 2026)72 Ruling after discovery
Treasury (New York v. Trump) Concluded Dismissed; access claims moot (Sept 23, 2026); no appeal reported69,98 —
PCLOB removals Pending (D.C. Circuit, LeBlanc v. PCLOB) Appeal sped up Aug 5, 2026; no member returned, no quorum as of July 202641 D.C. Circuit decision
Section 702 Concluded (lapsed) Expired Jun 12, 2026; not renewed as of Nov 835 Congress renewing it
DHS subpoenas to platforms Reversed (in part) At least five withdrawn after suits; others answered42 —
Mobile Fortify and Flock searches In force Temporary restraining order denied in the Maine observers’ suit (Mar 23, 2026), which moved to discovery; observers asked for an order against retaliation after records showed an HSI officer listed some of them in a DHS database (Oct 2026); Flock cut ~18% of staff amid privacy backlash, per TechCrunch (Oct 2026)80,89,107,43 A final ruling in the Maine suit
Parent Locator access Unresolved No report that DHS gained access —
GAO review of DOGE access Unresolved Agencies withheld information (Sept 29, 2026)73 —

Who is affected

The record transfers affect people who get Social Security, taxpayers, people on Medicaid, federal employees and registered voters. Their files moved between agencies or to DOGE staff. ICE uses the combined systems to find people to deport.1,5,21,46,32 Field tools affect people whose faces or license plates ICE scans. Administrative subpoenas reached the owners of anonymous accounts that criticized ICE.3,2,28 States and election officials received federal demands for voter rolls.29 Courts blocked some transfers after records had already moved, and allowed others. The Social Security Administration (SSA) says it cannot determine what data DOGE staff shared.5,21,24

Key players

Related: FCC Actions and Press Access and Student Visas and Speech-Based Removals (speech); Musk, DOGE and Conflict-of-Interest Questions and Outside Allies and Donors (DOGE, Palantir); Federal Actions on Election Administration and The 2026 Midterms (voter data); City Enforcement Operations and Fatal Shootings (enforcement); Inspectors General and Watchdogs (PCLOB, FBI auditing office).

Chronology

Sources

  1. Supreme Court: SSA v. AFSCME order, 24A1063 (PDF) · Al Jazeera: Supreme Court grants DOGE access to Social Security data · Timeline 2025-06-06 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. 404 Media: ICE taps into nationwide AI-enabled camera network · Timeline 2025-05-27 → ledger ↩↩↩

  3. 404 Media: ICE is using a new facial recognition app · 404 Media: ICE and CBP agents scanning faces on the street to verify citizenship · Reveal: how a U.S. citizen was scanned with ICE’s facial recognition tech · Timeline 2025-06 (late) → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  4. Nextgov: Trump axes Democrats on intelligence and privacy oversight board · Lawfare: Trump’s sacking of PCLOB members threatens data privacy · Timeline 2025-01-27 → ledger ↩↩↩

  5. CNN: Federal judge blocks IRS from sharing information to help ICE · Timeline 2025-11-21 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  6. NPR: Citizenship data system for voting · Timeline 2025-06-29 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  7. Senate Finance Committee: Wyden, Ocasio-Cortez demand answers from Palantir about IRS mega-database · Senate Finance Committee: Wyden/Ocasio-Cortez letter to Palantir (PDF) · Timeline 2025-06-17 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  8. ProPublica: DHS seeks access to sensitive data in Federal Parent Locator Service · Timeline 2026-03-11 → ledger ↩↩↩

  9. Reason: Trump backs Section 702 reauthorization after once calling to kill FISA · Timeline 2026-03-27 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  10. JURIST: Judge rules civil liberties oversight board members were improperly fired · Timeline 2025-01-27 → ledger ↩↩

  11. NBC News: Judge temporarily blocks DOGE from sensitive Treasury systems · CNBC: Musk calls to impeach judge · Timeline 2025-02-08 → ledger ↩↩

  12. NPR (via OPB): DOGE staffer who shared Treasury data now has more access · Timeline 2025-02-06 → ledger ↩↩

  13. CNN: Social Security head steps down over DOGE access · Timeline 2025-02-16 → ledger ↩

  14. ProPublica: Inside DOGE’s takeover of Social Security · Timeline 2025-02-16 → ledger ↩↩

  15. The Hill: Palantir courts contracts and controversy · Business & Human Rights Resource Centre: Palantir at center of federal data integration · Timeline 2025-03-20 → ledger ↩

  16. State of Surveillance: ICE paid Palantir $30M for ImmigrationOS · American Immigration Council: ICE to use ImmigrationOS · Timeline 2025-04 (early) → ledger ↩↩↩

  17. Reason: New IRS-ICE agreement could reduce tax revenue by $300 billion · GovExec: IRS building vast system to share taxpayers’ data with ICE · Timeline 2025-04 (early) → ledger ↩↩↩

  18. CPA Practice Advisor: Judge says IRS violated the IRC approximately 42,695 times · Timeline 2026-02-26 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  19. CNN: DOGE building master database for immigration enforcement · Timeline 2025-04-25 → ledger ↩

  20. AP: Medicaid data handed to immigration officials · Timeline 2025-06 (mid) → ledger ↩↩

  21. NBC News: Judge rules basic Medicaid data can be shared with ICE · Federal News Network/AP: HHS authorized to resume sharing some Medicaid data with deportation officers · Timeline 2025-06 (mid) → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  22. The Intercept: Palantir is helping Trump’s IRS conduct “massive-scale” data mining · Timeline 2026-04-24 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  23. CNN: Social Security whistleblower resigns “involuntarily” · Timeline 2025-08-26 → ledger ↩↩

  24. NPR: The Trump administration admits even more ways DOGE accessed sensitive personal data · Timeline 2026-01-16 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  25. NPR: The government is investigating new claims that DOGE misused Social Security data · Timeline 2026-03-06 → ledger ↩

  26. Spokesman-Review (USA Today): Social Security tried to assign fake death dates to 2.7M people · FedScoop: Democrats push SSA on reported DOGE plan to “kill off” living individuals · Timeline 2026-06-05 → ledger ↩↩↩

  27. Ars Technica: ICE’s forced face scans to verify citizens is unconstitutional, lawmakers say · 404 Media: ICE’s facial recognition app misidentified a woman. Twice · Timeline 2025-06 (late) → ledger ↩↩↩

  28. TechCrunch: DHS reportedly sent hundreds of subpoenas seeking to unmask anti-ICE accounts · Engadget: DHS issuing subpoenas to identify ICE critics online · Timeline 2026-02-13 → ledger ↩↩↩

  29. Brennan Center: Tracker of Justice Department requests for voter information · NPR: DOJ voter-data lawsuits · Timeline 2025-11-18 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  30. Brennan Center: Tracker of Justice Department requests for voter information · Timeline 2026 (summer) → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  31. Democracy Docket: Administration will use passport data for voter citizenship checks · Timeline 2026-09-22 → ledger ↩↩

  32. Democracy Docket: ICE amassed millions of voter records · Democracy Docket: ICE probed hundreds of voter registration groups · Timeline 2026-10-07 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  33. Reason: FBI spied on Republican lawmakers using surveillance powers many supported · Timeline 2025-10-10 → ledger ↩

  34. CBS News: Trump stands by Pulte as acting DNI amid FISA fight · Timeline 2026-06-09 → ledger ↩↩

  35. EFF: Victory! 702 has expired · Timeline 2026-06-12 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  36. CNBC: Palantir lands $10 billion Army software and data contract · Washington Technology: Palantir signs $10B enterprise agreement with Army · Timeline 2025-07-31 → ledger ↩

  37. NBC News: FBI folds public corruption squad that aided Jack Smith’s investigation · Timeline 2025-05-15 → ledger ↩

  38. State of Surveillance: 12 lawsuits say the centralized database is illegal · Timeline 2026-04-24 → ledger ↩↩↩

  39. NBC News: Supreme Court allows administration to use expanded database · CNN: States can use citizenship tool · Timeline 2026-09-25 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  40. CNN: Supreme Court rejects Trump’s attempt to segregate ballots in California · CBS News: Supreme Court rejects Trump’s effort · Timeline 2026-11-02 → ledger ↩↩↩

  41. VitalLaw/Cybersecurity Policy Report: Appeals court agrees to quickly rule on fired privacy board members · Brennan Center: LeBlanc v. PCLOB · Timeline 2025-01-27 → ledger ↩↩↩

  42. ACLU: DHS withdraws subpoena targeting man who criticized them · Gizmodo: Reddit, Meta and Google voluntarily gave DHS info of anti-ICE users · Timeline 2026-02-13 → ledger ↩↩↩

  43. TechCrunch: Surveillance company Flock cuts staff as privacy backlash grows · Timeline 2025-05-27 → ledger ↩

  44. Sen. Markey: Markey, Wyden and Merkley demand ICE stop using mobile facial recognition app · Timeline 2025-06 (late) → ledger ↩↩

  45. Federal Register: EO 14158 · Timeline 2025-01-20 → ledger ↩

  46. FedScoop: OPM illegally shared millions of employee records with DOGE, federal judge rules · Timeline 2026-10-20 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  47. New York Post/Reuters: US judge rules DOJ using state voter rolls unconstitutional · CREW: Judge denies another Trump administration attempt to meddle with voter data in Common Cause v. DOJ · Timeline 2026-10-09 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  48. Cornell LII: 5 U.S.C. § 552a, Records maintained on individuals (Privacy Act of 1974) — legal authority (text of the provision; § 552a(e)(4) and (e)(11) require Federal Register notice of each system of records and each new routine use) ↩

  49. Cornell LII: 26 U.S.C. § 6103, Confidentiality and disclosure of returns and return information legal authority ↩

  50. Cornell LII: 42 U.S.C. § 653, Federal Parent Locator Service legal authority ↩

  51. Cornell LII: 50 U.S.C. § 1881a, Procedures for targeting certain persons outside the United States other than United States persons (FISA § 702) legal authority ↩

  52. Cornell LII: 5 U.S.C. § 706, Scope of review (Administrative Procedure Act) legal authority ↩

  53. GovInfo: Public Law 104-191, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 — legal authority (text of the act; wrongful-disclosure penalty codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1320d-6) ↩

  54. Supreme Court: Social Security Administration v. AFSCME, No. 24A1063 (June 6, 2025) legal authority ↩

  55. Cornell LII: 52 U.S.C. § 20507, Requirements with respect to administration of voter registration (NVRA § 8) legal authority ↩

  56. Cornell LII: 52 U.S.C. § 21083, Computerized statewide voter registration list requirements (HAVA § 303) legal authority ↩

  57. Cornell LII: 52 U.S.C. § 20703, Demand for records or papers by Attorney General (Civil Rights Act of 1960, Title III, 52 U.S.C. §§ 20701–20706) legal authority ↩

  58. Democracy Docket: Trump administration will use passport data for voter citizenship checks, court filing reveals (Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee v. Trump) legal authority ↩

  59. CREW: Judge denies another Trump administration attempt to meddle with voter data in Common Cause v. DOJ (D.D.C. No. 1:26-cv-01352) legal authority ↩

  60. Cornell LII: 44 U.S.C. § 3501 et seq., Paperwork Reduction Act legal authority ↩

  61. Cornell LII: U.S. Constitution, Fourth Amendment legal authority ↩

  62. Cornell LII: U.S. Constitution, First Amendment legal authority ↩

  63. Supreme Court: Trump v. Slaughter, No. 25-332, 609 U.S. 422 (June 29, 2026) legal authority ↩

  64. Cornell LII: Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, 295 U.S. 602 (1935) legal authority ↩

  65. Brennan Center: LeBlanc v. U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (D.C. Cir. No. 25-5197) legal authority ↩

  66. Cornell LII: 5 U.S.C. § 7323, Political activity authorized; prohibitions (Hatch Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321–7326) legal authority ↩

  67. Cornell LII: 5 U.S.C. § 552, Public information; agency rules, opinions, orders, records, and proceedings (Freedom of Information Act) legal authority ↩

  68. GAO-26-108131: Treasury Needs to Fully Implement Data Protection Controls · Timeline 2026-04-28 → ledger ↩↩

  69. NBC News: judge temporarily blocks DOGE from Treasury systems · The Federalist: Court dismisses Democrat states’ lawsuit against DOGE’s Treasury access · Timeline 2025-02-07 → ledger ↩↩↩

  70. NPR: whistleblower details how DOGE may have taken sensitive NLRB data · GAO-26-108774: NLRB detailees did not access IT systems between April 16 and July 25, 2025 · Timeline 2025-04-15 → ledger ↩↩

  71. D. Md.: AFSCME v. SSA, No. ELH-25-0596, memorandum opinion (Jun 26, 2026) · NARFE: Appeals court vacates preliminary injunction against DOGE, upholds standing · Timeline 2026-04-10 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  72. Tech Times: DOGE privacy lawsuit survives dismissal · Timeline 2026-07-30 → ledger ↩↩↩

  73. GAO-26-108192 · FedScoop: Agencies largely stonewall GAO on DOGE audit · Timeline 2026-09-29 → ledger ↩↩↩

  74. Democracy Docket: Trump DOJ suffers first appeals court loss in floundering voter roll crusade · NBC News: Tracking the DOJ’s effort to get U.S. voter registration data · Timeline 2026-06-24 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  75. Brennan Center: Tracker of Justice Department requests for voter information · NBC News: Tracking DOJ’s effort to get U.S. voter registration data · Timeline 2025-11-18 → ledger ↩↩

  76. Democracy Docket: DOJ threatens charges against state officials · Democracy Docket: 27th straight loss · Timeline 2026-09-10 → ledger ↩↩↩

  77. Cornell LII: 31 U.S.C. § 716, Availability of information and inspection of records — legal authority (text of the provision; § 716(a)(1): “The Comptroller General is authorized to obtain such agency records as the Comptroller General requires”) ↩

  78. Newsweek: Trump’s DOJ blocked from sending ‘noncitizen’ voter lists · Just Security: Litigation Tracker (LWV v. DHS; Trujillo v. DHS; DSCC v. Trump) · Timeline 2026-11-02 → ledger ↩↩↩

  79. Cornell LII: 18 U.S.C. § 611, Voting by aliens legal authority ↩

  80. OPB/NPR: A new lawsuit alleges DHS illegally tracked and intimidated observers · Timeline 2026-02-23 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  81. Votebeat: Texas counties subpoenaed by DHS for registration applications · Timeline 2026-04-10 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  82. Votebeat: Judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit over Arizona’s voter rolls · Timeline 2026-04-28 → ledger ↩

  83. Nextgov/FCW: House passes 45-day FISA extension after senators secure declassification deal · Timeline 2026-03-27 → ledger ↩

  84. Cornell LII: 8 U.S.C. § 1225, Inspection by immigration officers — legal authority (text of the provision; § 1225(d)(4) subpoena power over matters relating to the privilege to enter, reenter, reside in or pass through the United States, or material to enforcement of the chapter) ↩

  85. NBC News: Judge rules basic Medicaid data can be shared with ICE · Timeline 2025-12-29 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  86. Federal News Network/AP: HHS authorized to resume sharing some Medicaid data with deportation officers · Timeline 2026-01-05 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  87. 404 Media: ICE’s facial recognition app misidentified a woman. Twice · Timeline 2026-01-19 → ledger ↩↩

  88. Michigan Public: Federal judge dismisses attempt to obtain Michigan voter data in latest rejection of DOJ (Feb 11, 2026) · Democracy Docket: DOJ voter data access cases, pp. 1–4 · Timeline 2026-02-10 → ledger ↩↩↩

  89. TIME: The big unanswered question about the tracking of ICE observers (Apr 11, 2026) · Timeline 2026-03-23 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  90. Rhode Island Current: judge dismisses DOJ Rhode Island suit · Timeline 2026-03-26 → ledger ↩

  91. D. Md.: AFSCME v. SSA, No. ELH-25-0596, memorandum opinion (Jun 26, 2026) · Timeline 2026-04-14 → ledger ↩

  92. Democracy Docket: DOJ voter data access cases, pp. 1–4 · Timeline 2026-04-17 → ledger ↩↩

  93. GAO-26-108774: NLRB detailees did not access IT systems between April 16 and July 25, 2025 · GAO: product page for GAO-26-108774 (published Apr 28, 2026) · Timeline 2026-04-28 → ledger ↩

  94. Nextgov/FCW: House passes 45-day FISA extension after senators secure declassification deal · Timeline 2026-04-29 → ledger ↩

  95. Nextgov/FCW: House passes 45-day FISA extension after senators secure declassification deal · Timeline 2026-04-30 → ledger ↩

  96. D. Md.: AFSCME v. SSA, No. ELH-25-0596, memorandum opinion (Jun 26, 2026) · Timeline 2026-05-01 → ledger ↩

  97. D. Md.: AFSCME v. SSA, No. ELH-25-0596, memorandum opinion (Jun 26, 2026) · Timeline 2026-06-26 → ledger ↩↩

  98. The Federalist: Court dismisses Democrat states’ lawsuit against DOGE’s Treasury access · Timeline 2026-09-23 → ledger ↩↩

  99. Democracy Docket: 27th straight loss · Democracy Docket: DOJ voter data access cases, pp. 1–4 · Timeline 2026-10-23 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  100. CNN: Social Security whistleblower resigns ‘involuntarily’ · Timeline 2025-08-29 → ledger ↩

  101. CBS News: House rejects last-minute extension for key FISA spy power amid Bill Pulte uproar · Timeline 2026-06-11 → ledger ↩↩

  102. CREW: Judge denies another Trump administration attempt to meddle with voter data · Timeline 2026-11-02 → ledger ↩↩

  103. New York Daily News via Yahoo: Federal judge rules NYC must give ICE names of Bronx shelter residents · Timeline 2026-11-06 → ledger ↩↩↩

  104. Federal Register: Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records (State Dept., Oct 23, 2026) · Timeline 2026-10-23 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  105. UW–Madison State Democracy Research Initiative: Tracker of DOJ lawsuits seeking states’ sensitive voter data (updated Nov 4, 2026) · Timeline 2026-10-30 → ledger ↩↩↩

  106. UW–Madison State Democracy Research Initiative: Tracker of DOJ lawsuits seeking states’ sensitive voter data (updated Nov 4, 2026) · Timeline 2026-08-14 → ledger ↩↩↩

  107. Portland Press Herald/Central Maine: Maine ICE observers added to DHS database, unsealed court records say · Timeline 2026-10-05 → ledger ↩↩